


Fools

by cruci_fics



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: (which is this one), (with the right otp), F/F, Slow Burn, me? stick with a multichap? its more likely than you think!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-10-18 09:07:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10613721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cruci_fics/pseuds/cruci_fics
Summary: "You makin' fun of me?" Trini asked, eyes challenging and voice slightly muffled against the vinyl.Kimberly widened her eyes comically. "Never!"Trini smiled and lifted her head, angling it towards the sun and exhaling a long breath. "You sure about that.""Positive."When Trini turned to look at her, Kimberly's face was open and sincere. She tilted her head down and Trini couldn't help but stare at the tiny droplets of water hanging onto her eyelashes. The next words slipped out before Trini could stop them."Do you wanna sleep over tonight?"First chapter loosely based on Hayley Kiyoko's iconic vid Girls Like Girls. The rest of the story however...





	1. i'm real (and i don't feel like boys)

**Author's Note:**

> title based on naomi scotts song because i mean?? it is So Good
> 
> this is my first time writing trini/kimberly so let me know what you think!!

"Trini honey, are you sure you don't wan't me to stay?" The voice of Trini's mother was muffled slightly through the bathroom door, but held a twinge of worry to it.

Trini faked another gagging noise. "I'm sure, mom. I'll be fine." she called.

Her family had been planning a weekend long camping trip all month, and as much as Trini loved the outdoors, she was not a fan of being trapped with her irrigating mother and two screaming little brother for three days straight--faking sick at the last minute was her best bet.

"Text me if you feel better, maybe your father could come back and get you later."

 _Likely._ Trini thought, but kept it to herself, instead affirming that she would, and that they should enjoy themselves without her.  
It wasn't till the garage door had long shut behind them that Trini finally creeped out of the bathroom. After checking every corner of the house to make sure no one was left, she collapsed onto the sofa with a relived sigh.

Three days of not having to listen to her brothers fight over who was the best ranger, three days of not having to listen to her mother complaining about her social life, three days of _quiet_.

The air conditioning kicked on with a low hum, sending a cool breeze throughout the room and raising goosebumps on her arms. The weather had finally warmed up enough that the inground pool out back was nearly overflowing with blue waves that glistened in the sun, just begging to be cannon balled into.

Trini had yet to swim in it because, well, most of her time the past several months had been spent sopping wet, in a dark cold cave underground, destroying clay monsters and being lectured by a talking wall.But something about that water looked so inviting on a sweltering hot afternoon...Trini was pulled from her thoughts by a ding from her phone.

She pulled it out from her back pocket, expecting to see a text from her mother saying that they had cancelled the trip and were already turning around the car, crushing her quiet dreams entirely, but instead what she saw made the corner of her mouth turn up.

_**Kimmy** _

_Hey! You free to hang today? This heat is killing me and I need someone to complain with._

Ever since the attack on Angel Grove, the entire team had been hanging out more and more--both separately and individually--and Trini and Kimberly had been the two to branch off together more often. Donut dates and morning coffee runs were not unlikely between them--though hanging out at each others houses was not a level they had reached yet, so when Trini went to write her reply,she hesitated, trying to figure out a casual way to invite Kimberly over to her house without being too forward.

**_Trini_ **

_ugh don't even get me started, it's unbearable out there._

_fam went camping for the wknd, got house to myself if u wanna chill (literally)_

Trini hit send and chewed on her lip, waiting for a response. Barely a minute later Kimberly replied.

 _ **Kimmy** _  
_Yes please. Be there in 20_

Trini held back a cheesy fist pump and texted her address, along with one other thing.

 _**Trini** _  
_bring swimsuit_

* * *

  
Twenty one minutes later, and Kimberly still hadn't shown, making the fingernail prints already wearing into Trini's palm even worse.

 _She probably bailed and went to Jason's instead, or maybe she got lost and her phone died and she's trapped somewhere scared and alone and_ \--her mindless worrying was interrupted by a quick rap at the door.

Trini wiped her sweaty palms on the edge of her shorts and moved to open it, ignoring the way her heartbeat sped up like it always does when she sees Kimberly.

"Oh thank god, I went to the wrong house next door and almost got bludgeoned with a cane."

Trini stepped back to let Kimberly in with a dry chuckle. "That's Mrs.Castillo, she's pretty crotchety on hot days--well all year round actually."

Kimberly laughed and let her eyes wonder past Trini to survey the room. "Nice place."

Trini scoffed and leaned against the closed door. "Welcome to my suburban palace. Pool's out back."

Kimberly sighed and grasped Trini's shoulders lightly. "You, are a life saver." Trini smirked, turning to walk up the stairs towards her room. "You can change up here."

Kimberly followed closely behind as she led her to her bedroom at the end of the hall. The walls had been mostly patched up from the Rita attack, but some places still had to be painted over, so there were large white spots dotted around the walls. She hadn't bothered to clean up, and clothes, among other items, were haphazardly strewn about the room--something she normally wouldn't give a shit about--but she quickly snatched a few things off the duvet cover to clear a spot.

Kimberly was quiet as she took her backpack off and set it on the bed, unzipping it and digging for her swimsuit. Trini busied herself with finding her own suit in her mess of a dresser. She turned to go change in the bathroom but stopped short with a strangled intake of breath.

Kimberly had already stripped off her tank top, and was moving to pull off the lacy pink bralette underneath when Trini finally had it in her to turn back around. Kimberly noticed almost instantly and apologized. "I can go change in the bathroom but I just figured--"

Trini cut her off. "No, no it's fine. Here's fine." she cleared her throat and moved to grab at the hem of her own shirt, tugging it off in one swift motion. A a mirror hung above her dresser, with a clear view directly behind her. She caught a glimpse of Kimberly's bare back and tore her eyes away long enough to pull on her swimsuit top. By the time she dared another glance, Kimberly was tying her own top behind her neck. She notched her head over her shoulder for a moment, catching Trini's eyes in the mirror with a smile.After that, Trini didn't dare anymore looks, instead pulling on the rest of her suit as quickly as she could--it was a simple two piece, yellow and quite worn, but she thought she looked ok in it.

That is until Kimberly gave her the all clear to turn around.

She was wearing a two piece as well, deep fuchsia and high waisted. It just gave a glimpse of sculpted abs, which was frankly more than Trini could handle. She tried to keep her face composed but must have failed, because Kimberly scrunched her eyebrows and looked down at herself.

"What? This is kind of new, is there something wrong with it?"

Trini found her voice after nearly a minute of struggling. "No, it's great. It's just...those years of cheerleading really paid off."

Kimberly's cheeks tinted peek and she laughed. "Please, have you seen yourself?" Trini raised an eyebrow and stepped into the hallway to grab a couple of towels out of the closet, coming back to a still flustered Kimberly.

"I mean that in a good way!" she sat down on the edge of the bed."like no offense but...damn girl."

Trini felt her face heat up even more, and avoided the compliment by chucking the towel at Kimberly, who caught it with lightening fast reflexes.

"Come on Hart, the pool won't be cold forever."

* * *

 

"Will you put sunscreen on my back?" Trini nearly dropped her phone on the hot pavement at the words and she struggled to shoot a quick text to her mom, before throwing it down on her towel.

"Sure."

She walked over to where Kimberly was waiting with her back turned on one of the lawn chairs. "Do we even need sunscreen anymore?"

Kimberly shrugged, handing her the bottle. "Better safe than sorry."

Trini took a deep breath and squeezed some of the lotion into her palm, reaching out to slowly rub it onto the skin of Kimberly's back. At that moment, Kimberly inhaled sharply and tensed up.

"Are you ok?"

Kimberly cleared her throat and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, your hand was just cold."

Trini nearly snorted, the only thing that was cold at the moment was the pool a couple feet away--that she was dying to get into. She dropped it and continued.

Kimberly still felt tense, but after a couple circles her shoulders relaxed and her neck fell forward. Her skin had various scarring just like Trini's--though Trini's had a lot more--but still somehow managed to feel smooth.

Trini reluctantly pulled her hand away once all the lotion was rubbed in and handed the bottle back to Kimberly. "All done."

Kimberly took it and stood up, facing Trini. She gave her an expectant look. "Your turn."

Trini rolled her eyes but turned her back, ready to make a sarcastic quip. The words died in her throat, as a soft hand brushed her hair off her neck and lingered for a moment too long.

Trini barely got her composure enough before Kimberly's hand was rubbing the sun tan lotion onto her skin and making her sway on her feet.

"Need to sit?" Kimberly's teasing voice came from right next to her ear and she fought the urge to shiver.

"Nope," she said through gritted teeth. "All good."

Kimberly's hand traced over the long jagged scar on her lower back.Trini could feel her question without her having to ask it. "I was pretty much a rag doll to Rita."

Kimberly's finger's were feather light across the scar, but she stayed quiet. Trini turned to face her after a moment. Her eyebrows were knit and she seemed to be thinking intently. Trini grabbed her hand from where she left it hanging.

"Hey, I know what you're thinking." Kimberly met her eyes. "And there's nothing _any_ of you could have done, ok?"

Kimberly sighed and forced a smile. "I know." 

Trini pulled her towards the edge of the pool. "Now are we gonna swim or what?" She went to sit down and dip her legs in, but a tug on her hand stopped her. Kimberly had a mischievous smile on her face and wagged her finger.

"No."

Trini realized what she meant too late. "Kim no-"

The iciness of the pool contrasted with the warmth of the sun was a shock, as Trini's head went under, and she didn't think before bursting back up to the surface and sputtering a cough. Kimberly popped up from the waves in front of her and shook out her hair, causing more droplets of water to spray on Trini. She tried to keep a pout on her face, but an infectious smile was spreading across Kimberly's and pretty soon they were both laughing.

Trini splashed some water at Kimberly. "Hate you."

Kimberly flicked some back with a smirk. "Sure you do."

Trini swam towards the farther end of the pool, towards the giant pineapple shaped pool float her brothers insisted on blowing up. She clambered on the side of it for a moment, the material so slick it nearly made her lose her top as she slipped down the edge. She gave a frustrated huff and tried again, this time managing to haul her body onto the pineapple--without tearing hole in it.

After wiggling around a bit, she comfortably situated on her stomach and turned the float with her hand. Kimberly was in the exact spot they had landed with a bemused expression on her face.

Trini stared, deadpan. "What."

Kimberly shook her head as she swam over. "Nothing." she propped herself on the edge of the float, arms folded one over the other, her eye's level with Trini's.

"You makin' fun of me?" Trini asked, eyes challenging and voice slightly muffled against the vinyl.

Kimberly widened her eyes comically. "Never!"

Trini smiled and lifted her head, angling it towards the sun and exhaling a long breath. "You sure about that."

"Positive."

When Trini turned to look at her, Kimberly's face was open and sincere. She tilted her head down and Trini couldn't help but stare at the tiny droplets of water hanging onto her eyelashes. The next words slipped out before Trini could stop them.

"Do you wanna sleep over tonight?"

Kimberly's head snapped up and looked almost as surprised as she did, but she quickly composed herself. "Yeah sure, that'd be fun."

Trini breathed a sigh of relief but played it off with a chill nod. "Cool, we can invite the boys too if you want..."

Kimberly scrunched her nose. "I love them but, I've had enough of boys lately."

"Amen to that."

* * *

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent laying by the poolside and dipping in every once in a while to cool off--and have the occasional splash fight. After a few hours though, it was hard to ignore the roaring in their stomachs so Kimberly suggested pizza. They toweled off and went inside and Kimberly took the stairs up two at a time as Trini ordered on her phone.

A minute later, a shout came from upstairs. "Hey Trin,"

"Yeah?"

"Can I borrow something to wear?"

"Yeah go ahead, pick whatever." she called back up.

Trini finished ordering and made her way upstairs, absentmindedly scrunching her hair in her towel before chucking it in the laundry room. She walked into the doorway of her bedroom and stopped short, looking at a sight she'd never thought she'd see in a million years.

Kimberly Hart, laying with her head hanging off the edge of Trini's bed, in one of Trini's yellow cut off sweatshirts and a pair of shorts, with more skin showing than even her bathing suit had revealed. She was laughing at something on her phone and started speaking when she heard Trini come in.

"Looks like the boys are having their own little day too." she held her phone out and Trini caught her breath enough to walk forward and look at the picture pulled up.

Jason, Billy, and Zack, in what looked to be Billy's basement, holding up game controllers and making silly faces. The caption read: _Bet you're not having as much fun as this ;)_

Trini scoffed. "Looks like a party."

Kimberly opened her camera and switched the screen to front facing."C'mere."

Trini kneeled next to Kimberly's head, the scent of chlorine and sunscreen washed over her--she imagined she probably smelled the same. Trini threw two peace signs and pursed her lips with a raised brow, while Kimberly simply stuck her tongue out.

They stopped to look at it before sending and Kimberly blew out a low whistle. "We look hot."

With Trini still in her low cut bikini top, and both with tousled wet hair, Trini couldn't help but agree. "Send that to me too." After changing into an oversized t-shirt and pair of shorts in the bathroom, Trini walked back in to find Kimberly already holding out her phone wordlessly.

 _**Zack** _  
_you win_

Trini barked out a laugh and flopped down on the bed next to Kimberly. "That's what I thought."She pulled out her own phone to a dozen texts from her mother, which she quickly dismissed before throwing it down and turning to Kimberly.

"What do you wanna do till the pizza gets here?"

Kimberly hummed quietly for a moment before an invisible light bulb went off above her head. "Can I paint your nails?"

Trini laughed. "Are you serious?" 

"Hey, it's a slumber party right?" Kimberly pouted her bottom lip."Please."

After a few moments, Trini relented. "Fine."

* * *

 

"I still don't know how I feel about the pink,"

Five minutes later and they were sitting on the cool tile floor of the hallway bathroom, surrounded by Trini's Mom's various nude and pink nail polishes. "I have three perfectly good black polishes."

Kimberly ignored her, focusing on painting another one of Trini's fingers that was spread out on her knee."Also, we could do this in my room." She shook her head then. "It'll be easier to clean if it spills."

"Have you seen my room? I think a splash of paint would do it good."

Kimberly ignored her again, painting her pinky finger with painstaking delicacy, tongue stuck between her teeth in concentration. Her brow was knit tightly, but Trini's eyes were drawn to her lips. They were bent in so close that she could clearly see the beauty mark that fell on the edge of Kimberly's mouth, and she had the irresistible urge to reach out and touch it.

It wasn't until Kimberly's breath hitched and she had smeared polish past the nail and onto her skin, that Trini realized she actually had reached out and brushed her thumb against the mark. She quickly pulled her hand back cleared her throat roughly.

"Sorry, there was a hair." she lied.

Kimberly wet her lips and coughed, blinking a couple times before speaking. "Y-yeah, thanks."

The door bell ringing loudly broke both of them out of their reverie and Kimberly jumped up. "Phew, I'm starving."

Trini stood as well and fanned her hands back and forth. "If I eat any nail polish by accident, you're paying for the hospital bill."

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later, Trini was sprawled on the couch with her legs over Kimberly's and the last slice of pizza in her hand. "Are you sure you don't want it?"

"Nope, that's all you." Kimberly responded, absentmindedly tracing a finger on Trini's knee, making it nearly impossible to concentrate on the cheesy evening soup opera they were watching.

"Wait, her husband cheated on her with the nanny, so she killed him and then slept with that same nanny afterwards?"

"Yup."

"That's hardcore."

Kimberly laughed and criss-crossed her legs underneath her, re-situating Trini's on top.

They watched the show for another couple minutes before Kimberly spoke again. "Now what?"

Trini raised her eyebrows. "Can't we just chill for a little bit."

"I don't know what that word means."

Trini drew her legs in. "Welll, we could go for a night swim after we digest," Kimberly's eyes lit up. "But until then...are you ready for me to kick your ass in Mario Kart?"

Kimberly scoffed. "Oh it is _on_."

 


	2. but at least i got you in my head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly finally tells Trini the truth--and has certain feelings awakened by a sex dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all said you wanted slow burn right ;)
> 
> thank you so so much for all the comments y'all are a sweet af fandom <3

The consistent chatter of cicada's and rustling of windblown leaves were the only sounds heard in the quiet of the darkness. Kimberly tipped her head off the side of the pool float, and what was left of her dark hair hung suspended in the water as she tried to make out a constellation from upside down.

_Cassiopeia? The little dipper? No-_

Her view of the sky was disrupted as a head emerged from the water with a splash, spraying Kimberly directly in the face. 

"Trini!" 

The smaller girl barked a laugh at her dismay, and Kimberly couldn't help but notice how relaxed she had become around her just within the past couple hours. That's always how it seemed to be with Trini, quiet and reserved one minute, and loud and carefree the next. It must depend on the people--she lets her guard down around people she trusts, which Kimberly can wholeheartedly understand. 

What she can't understand is how Trini can trust _her_ without knowing what she's done--even if it was in the past.

Trini balanced her arms on either side of Kimberly's head and flashed a smile. "Hi."

"Hi," she flipped so that she was on her stomach and face to face with Trini. "Long time no see, what were you doing down there?" 

"Trying to figure out how long I could hold my breath for," she shrugged. "Got bored after 10 minutes." 

Kimberly watched as she swirled her hand in the water, creating a mini whirlpool around her fingertips. She rested her head on the arm still perched on the float and exhaled a breath, blowing strands of damp hair off her face. 

Kimberly made a decision. 

"I need to tell you something." 

Trini raised an eyebrow. "You're pregnant?"

"What? No! Why would you even think--" her indignation was cut short when she saw Trini's chest shaking and the edges of her mouth quirking up. She slapped her arm lightly.

"Shut up." 

"Then what?" 

Kimberly slid down off the float, paddling a couple feet to a darker corner where trees obscured the moonlight. She pushed herself up on the edge of the pool to sit on the pavement, still warm from the heat of the day. Trini followed. Her facial expression was harder to make out in the darkness, but Kimberly imagined it to be quizzical. Once she got to the edge, she propped her arms up next to her. 

"What is it Kim?" 

Kimberly's heart squeezed at the nickname, and she wiped her wet palms on her legs, inhaling a deep breath. "You know that night at the bonfire, when we were all revealing secrets?" 

"How could I forget." Trini mumbled. 

"Yeah, it was intense," she said. "and I asked for you guys to skip me." Her head was down, but she could feel Trini's eyes on her.

"Kim you don't have to-"

"Yes I do." she cut her off. 

The next thing she knew, she was spilling it all. The picture, what she'd said, what she'd _done_ , it all came tumbling out. The entire time she kept her eyes on her legs, afraid if she lifted her head and looked at Trini she would immediately lose all of her courage.

By the time she was done, most of her body had dried in the warm breeze and the moon shone brighter above them. After nearly a minute of silence, she dared a peek at Trini through her hair. Even if Kimberly could fully make out her face in the darkness, she still wouldn't be able to gauge her reaction. 

"I know I should have told all of you this sooner and I'm a terrible person and I can totally just leave right now if you want--"

Trini appeared next to her on the pavement in one swift movement and stopped Kimberly's flailing hands with what was almost a laugh. "Kim, Kimberly!" she snapped her mouth shut. "I'm not kicking you out, chill." 

She let a breath out she didn't know she had been holding as Trini started to speak. 

"What you did was awful and completely _not_ okay," Trini kept a tight hold of her hand. "But that was in the past. This," she gestured between the two of them. "Us, the team, that's now. That's what's important." 

Kimberly's shoulders relaxed. "So you don't think what I did makes me a bad person?" 

Trini sighed. "Bad people are people who do bad things, _knowing_ that they're bad, but continuing to do them. Someone who does something bad and learns from it and vows never to do it again, now that," she nudged Kimberly's side. "That's a good person." 

Kimberly blinked away her tears with a shake of her head and a scratchy laugh. "Since when did you become Dr.Phil." 

"Please, that old bald geezer doesn't hold a candle to me." Trini pulled Kimberly to her feet with a scoff. "Now, I believe there is a tub of ice cream in the back of the freezer that is calling our names."

"Race you," her eye's glinted in the darkness. "First one to the refrigerator wins."

"Oh it's _on_."

* * *

 

  
One hour (and a pint of ice cream) later and Kimberly was struggling to keep her eyes open. The warmth of Trini's legs on top of hers, combined with the coziness of the sweatshirt Trini had let her wear, was enough to pull her eyelids shut and block out the sounds of the cheesy movie they had put on. 

After a minute of fighting, she finally let sleep pull her under.

 

_Yellow._

_Yellow is everywhere._

_I can taste yellow._

_No, something else._

_Someone is touching me, kissing me? I'm kissing them back. Oh my god this feels good. But why can't I see them?_

_Shit._

_Am I naked?_

_Are we naked?_

_This persons hair is soft, and their lips--oh my god._

_Yup. Definitely naked._

_They're whispering something, is that spanish? I'm taking french._

_Okay, not just whispering, moaning, that was for sure moaning._

_Wait, that voice is familiar. Like really familiar._

_SHIT._

_oh my god_

_There's no way that's who I think it is. No way_

_Fu--_

 

Kimberly shot up with a startled jolt, prying her eyes open to try and make sense of her surroundings. The credits were rolling on the television across from her and a voice next to her made her swivel her head around. 

"Whoa, you okay dude?" 

Kimberly rubbed her face and ran a hand through her hair before speaking. "Yeah-" her voice broke. "Yeah, I'm good."

Trini leaned closer and Kimberly ignored the way her heart was still racing. "You sure?" 

"Just a dream," she got up off the couch quickly, playing off her strange behavior with a casual stretch. "Bed time."

* * *

 

What Kimberly seemingly forgot about 'bed time' was that it entailed sharing a bed with the girl she had _definitely_ just had a sex dream about.

Because Trini's bed was a full and not a queen, it was nearly impossible to find a position where they weren't touching. She tossed and turned, but no matter what, some part of her was touching some part of Trini.

After twenty minutes, a hand stopped her from flipping over again. 

"Is my bed that uncomfortable?" 

Trini turned so that they were face to face, and this close Kimberly could count every freckle on her nose. She sighed. "It's nothing, it was just a weird dream." 

"A bad one?" 

Kimberly shook her head. 

"Well then what..." Trini's eye's lit up. She sat up abruptly and flicked the lamp on. "Did you have a sex dream about someone?" 

"No!" Kimberly turned her back and brought the covers above her head. "No, no, nope."

"You totally did!" 

"Trini!" 

"Who was it? 

"I'm not telling you!" she said, voice muffled beneath the duvet.

"Then imma guess," Trini grabbed a pillow and situated it in her lap, tapping a finger to her chin. "Was it Zack?"

"No!"

"Mr. Perfect Jason Scott?"

"Ugh, no!"

"Our sweet, sweet, Billy?"

"No!"

Trini pursed her lips. "Well then who else...oh my god,"she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Was it Zordon?"

"Trini! Oh my god!" Kimberly tore the blanket off with a laugh. 

"Like weird alien wall sex--" Kimberly threw a pillow at her, and when that didn't deter her she grabbed another and proceeded to whack her with it. 

"Wait, wait,wait," Trini said through her laughter."I'm not judging okay! I just want to know the mechanics of it!" 

Kimberly backed off with the pillow, sitting down with a puff of air. "It wasn't Zordon!"

"Well who else is there?" 

It was silent for a moment as realization dawned on Trini's face. 

"OH, oh!" 

Kimberly's cheeks felt so red, she was certain they were around the color of Jason's suit at this point. Trini's eyes were wide as saucers, but she quickly composed herself with a rough cough."You know that's-uh well that's--"

"Why don't we just go to sleep and forget this ever happened?" Kimberly said in a rush.

"Great idea."

The darkness nearly made things worse, and Kimberly screwed her eyes shut as tight as she could, hoping sleep would take her without another embarrassing dream. 

"I'm actually pretty flattered." Trini's voice pierced the silence. "I mean, if you wanted to, you should have just asked."

The last thing Kimberly remembered hearing before drifting off to sleep was the 'umfh' that came with slapping a pillow over Trini's face.

* * *

 

  
Heat. All Kimberly felt was heat. And stickiness. And maybe skin? She kicked whatever was causing her discomfort off her legs and tried prying her eyes open. Sunlight pierced threw the window and cast rays onto her skin, further fueling the intense sweltering heat across her body. She looked to the mop of groaning hair next to her, to find she was actually on _top_ of her. 

Trini was sprawled across her torso, legs hanging off the edge of the bed and arm halfway across Kimberly's face. Kimberly vaguely remembers waking up in the middle of the night and throwing the sweatshirt she was wearing off, which explains the stickiness of skin to skin contact where Trini's t-shirt was hiked up towards her neck. She unwedged her arm from beneath her and shook her lightly. 

"Trini, Trini, please wake up, I can't breathe." 

Another groan came, and with it something mumbled. Kimberly had no other option but to push Trini off--with a little too much force. She rolled off Kimberly, and right onto the floor. 

After a couple seconds, her head popped up. "What the..." her voice was thick with sleep, and her dark hair was a rats nest partially covering her face, but Kimberly couldn't help noting how beautiful she looked with the morning sunlight streaming onto her skin. 

"Why does it feel like Satan's buttcrack in here." 

Kimberly would have laughed, but the said heat was so incriminating she could barely speak. "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure we're dead right now." 

Trini stood up, and looked at Kimberly, and then immediately averted her eyes. 

"What..." she looked down at herself and realized what is what she had kicked off a moments ago--her shorts. She was laying practically spread eagle on the bed, the covers having been lost long ago, wearing only her bralette and lacy pink underwear. 

Trini was inspecting something on the ceiling rather intently as Kimberly sat up and almost pulled on her shorts. "It's too hot, do you mind if I leave these off?" 

Trini shook her head rather intensely and then looked down at her own attire. The shorts she was wearing last night were still on, and the shirt was hiked up so high it completely revealed the dark sports bra she had on. She thought for a moment before shrugging and peeling it off. 

"Guess it's no clothes day." she grabbed her phone off the nightstand and started towards the door. "Come on, lets go figure out why we're in the fiery pits of hell."

* * *

 

Trini smacked at the thermostat, making more smoke billow out the front."A.C's jacked." 

The little screen that usually told the temperature was completely blank and flashing a red light that could definitely not be good, and Kimberly wondered how the hell it even broke this severely, so quickly. 

Trini pulled out her phone and started texting someone."What are you doing?"

"Asking Billy to come help us." 

Kimberly had tried to keep her stomach quiet up until now, but it finally let loose an audible growl. 

Trini threw her phone on the couch, and Kimberly couldn't help but watch the way her abs contracted at the small motion. 

"First things first, fans. Secondly, Pancakes."

* * *

 

 Jason, Zack, and Billy weren't sure what it was they were walking into after Billy got a text that read: _SOS! AC'S BROKEN. BRING FANS and tools_  --But it definitely wasn't what they found.

They pulled up the driveway to music pumping from inside, and the front door wide open. Upon entry so was every single window. They followed the music to the kitchen, wherein Jason nearly dropped his arm fulls of mini fans. 

Pancake batter, all over every surface; counters, cabinets, floor--and the cooks. They both seemed to be wearing practically nothing--which wasn't even the scariest part.

The music blasting was most definitely a 90's hit, and Trini and Kimberly were passionately singing along and dancing in ways that would make Beyoncé  proud.

"BABY ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT I'LL MAKE LOVE TO YO--oh hey guys!" 

Kimberly briefly stopped her spatula singing to wave, and only Billy waved back. 

"AC'S DOWN THE HALL." Trini shouted over the music to Billy.

He nodded and shouted back. "CAN I DANCE WITH Y'ALL FIRST?" 

Trini and Kimberly looked at each other and shrugged. "SURE." Billy clapped and sidled into the kitchen, joining in their weird, rigorous, pancake rave. 

Jason doesn't think he's ever seen Zack laugh so hard, and it took him a couple minutes to get him to help set all the fans up. They were in the living room, plugging in various outlets when Jason finally spoke. 

"So they had like, way more fun then we did right?" 

"I told you we should have come over here!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that last scene based on this video http://mindfullofstories.tumblr.com/post/159378304002/imaginetrimberly because how could i not??
> 
> leave a comment!! tell me what you liked! what you didn't like! what you want tattooed on your chest! anything!


	3. every piece of you it just fits perfectly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> formal wear = trini and kimberly being gay messes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone for the sweet comments!! i read every single one and cry alone at night because they're so NICE

A sigh of relief went through Trini every time the air conditioning kicked on, blowing a cool breeze throughout the house and whisking away any remnants of the wretched heat that had clung to every surface mere hours ago. Kimberly sat next to her on the couch, not paying any attention to whatever she had turned on the television and instead looking rather intently at her phone. Trini had shut hers off earlier after the slew of texts from her mother about coming to pick her up so that they could have a day or two of "family bonding"--though she was sure they were doing just fine without her. 

Much better than she was at the moment, anyway.

* * *

 

"Hey Zack, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Trini didn't wait for an answer, instead pulling him into the hallway and away from where the rest of the team were finishing off their pancakes. "Whoa, what's the deal, crazy girl?"

She cut right to the chase. "Have you ever had a sex dream about one of us?" 

Zack doubled over with laughter and Trini slapped his arm insistently. "Be serious!" He held up his hands. "Ok, ok," he tapped a finger on his chin for a moment. "No, never." 

Trini's palms started sweating. "Never ever?"

Zack shook his head. "Nope," he raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Did _you_ have a sex dream about one of us?" 

"What? No!" her gaze drifted beyond Zack's shoulder to where she could just see Kimberly through the doorway. She had put Trini's sweatshirt back on when the air started working again, and was dancing to some top 40 hit blaring out of the radio with a half eaten pancake in one hand, and a spatula in the other. 

The corner of Trini's mouth turned up. _Dork_.

Zack followed her gaze. When it landed on Kimberly, a smile started to form. "Did you have a sex dream about Kimmy?" 

"Not exactly." 

His eyebrows furrowed, and and then realization dawned on his face. "Kimmy had a sex dream about you?!"

Trini was silent, confirming his accusation. He doubled over with laughter again, quite literally slapping his knee. 

"Shhh!" Trini hissed, looking over her shoulder, but fortunately the music was too loud to hear anything from this far away. When Zack noticed Trini's panicked look, he stopped laughing and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, it was probably nothing."

"And if it was something?"

"Then you gotta figure that out on your own, kid." He ruffled her hair and went back to the kitchen, shaking his head with barely contained chuckles.

Trini slid down the wall and buried her head in her hands. _What if it meant something? Is Kimberly even into girls? If so, out of all people, why Trini? Was this some kind of sick episode of Punk'd made just to mess with her feelings? What if it meant nothing, and her and Kimberly were destined to be 'just friends' forever? What if--_ She was pulled out of her thoughts by something warm and floppy hitting the side of her cheek. She snapped her head up to find Kimberly standing above her, a barely contained smile on her face, and a pancake hanging inconspicuously from her hand. 

"Did you just...slap me with a half eaten pancake?" 

Kimberly shrugged, sliding down to sit next to her. "Maybe." 

Trini snatched the pancake out of her hand, tearing off a bite and smiling through her mouthful at Kimberly, who watched with a scandalized look. 

"You know there's like five hundred perfectly good pancakes in there! You didn't have to steal mine." 

"Then you shouldn't have slapped me with it in the first place." 

"Touché,"

They were quiet for a moment as Trini chewed. She felt eyes on her and turned her head a fraction. Kimberly was staring at her with a look of concern. "Is everything ok? You seemed kind of down over here." 

Trini nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine." 

Kimberly didn't look convinced, but dropped it. She waited a couple moments before making a grab for the pancake, but not before Trini held it out of arms reach. "Mine."Kimberly took that as a challenge, reaching for it across Trini's torso. Pretty soon, Trini was up off the floor and running towards the kitchen. "You'll have to catch me for it!" 

Unfortunately, two superhuman teens fighting over a flapjack led to a lot more than just wrestling, and that's how Trini found herself fully clothed, fishing a soggy pancake out of the bottom of the swimming pool.

* * *

 

Trini was brought back to reality by a heavy sigh next to her, where Kimberly was still tapping away on her phone. She had changed back into the clothing she had arrived in, and Trini couldn't help but miss the long expanse of stomach her cropped sweatshirt had revealed.

"Something wrong?" 

Kimberly shook her head,short locks bouncing across her jaw. "There's a stupid school dance tonight."

Trini stared blankly. "And?" 

" _And_ , I've never missed one. Not once." 

Trini continued to stare.

Kimberly huffed. "Not that I care anymore, but Amanda's making pretty damn sure that I know she and Harper are going to have an amazing time without me."

"Then let's go."

"What? Go where?"

"To the dance." 

It was Kimberly's turn to stare. "Who are you and what have you done with Trini?" 

Trini rolled her eyes. "Prove them wrong. Show up looking hotter than everyone and have a great time without them." 

Kimberly shook her head. "That's not my crowd anymore, I'd just look pathetic. Plus," she looked at Trini. "why would you want to?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I've never been. And I'm like super- mega-strong now so no one can try any shit." 

Kimberly laughed. "Ok, fair enough. But," she looked Trini up and down, causing heat to bloom across her cheeks."We'd have to go shopping."

Trini grimaced. "Would we?"

A smile steadily spread across Kimberly's face. "Oh yes."

* * *

 

"Here, try on this one!" Another dress was stuck through the curtain and Trini grabbed it with a sigh.

"I said, _you'd_ look hot showing up, why do I have to get something?" 

Kimberly's voice came slightly muffled from the other side. "First of all, this was your idea. Secondly, you'd look hot no matter what, I just want to give you options."

Trini was thankful Kimberly couldn't see her face, because in her reflection, it was a beet red, heavily contrasting with the bright blue gown she was struggling to zip up. She gave up with a frustrated sigh, and did something she was hoping she wouldn't have to. 

"Kimberly? Can you zip me up please." There was silence for a moment, before the dressing room curtain moved open a fraction. 

Kimberly squeezed in the small space, stepping up directly behind her. She moved some of Trini's hair off her neck and out of the way, giving Trini flashbacks of the day before, when she had done the same thing before applying sunblock. She pulled the zipper up slowly, careful to not catch skin. Her fingers lingered for a moment too long, and she finally looked up to meet Trini's eyes in the mirror. She broke it quickly, looking to the dress. 

She leaned in close, raising goosebumps on Trini's skin."This isn't your color."

Trini's head fell forward with a laugh as she looked down at herself. "Definitely not." She smoothed the folds of it and looked to the rack of already discarded canary yellow dresses. "Those don't seem to be working either though." 

Kimberly reached for the zipper, pulling it down as painstakingly slow as she had brought it up. She chewed on her lower lip and met Trini's eyes again. 

"There's one more I want you to try." she groaned and Kimberly held out a hand. "Just one more!" She ducked out and Trini heard the metallic clang of hangers. The next second, she was standing right outside the curtain. 

"I want you to have an open mind about this one, okay?" 

Trini sighed, but held her hand outside the curtain. She pulled the dress back in, and immediately barked out a laugh. "You've got to be kidding."

"Just try it!" 

"Kim, this wouldn't fit a mouse." 

"If you try it, then I won't make you put on any more." 

Trini relented with a huff, yanking the garment off the hanger and slipping it over her head. She pulled open the curtain and stepped out, clearing her throat. 

Kimberly started speaking before Trini had even pulled the dress on, but abruptly stopped as soon as she walked out. "I cannot tell you how many hours I used to spend in this place--" her jaw was hanging open, and the her eyes were as wide as saucers.

Trini pulled uncomfortably at the bottom of the dress, trying to stretch it further down her thighs. It was a dress she never in a million years would have given a second glance to--or a first for that matter. Short, skin tight, and a light sheer gold, it clung to every inch of her skin, and she really wished Kimberly would say something, because she was getting more self conscious by the minute.

"What do you think?" 

Kimberly gaped like a fish out of water, she briefly flailed her hands before settling them on her hips and moving towards to Trini.

"I-I think it's perfect."

"Really?" Trini made a face. 

Kimberly was right in front of her now, and had a look in her eyes Trini had never seen. She reached out a hand, pulling out a portion of rolled fabric that was tucked at the hem, before taking a step closer and speaking, her voice a near whisper. 

"Really." 

A shiver ran down Trini's spine, and she covered it with a cough and a shuffle backwards. Kimberly stared for a moment longer, before shaking her head. "It needs something though." She tore her eyes off Trini long enough to gaze around the store. Her eyes landed on her own discarded leather jacket that lay over the back of the chair outside the dressing rooms, and she snatched it up quickly before swinging it around Trini's shoulders. 

The sleeves were a little long, but upon inspection in the mirror, Trini felt it made the look feel more like her. Not to mention, the smell that enveloped her was entirely _Kimberly_. Floral and sweet, with a hint of pine and something else Trini couldn't put her finger on.

Kimberly stepped up behind her and smiled at her in the reflection. "You like?" 

Trini nodded slowly. "I think so." 

"I told you!"

"Yeah, yeah, where are we going next?" 

Kimberly avoided her eyes. "My house."

"Huh? Don't you have to get a dress?"

"Yup."

"From your..." she trailed off, and realization dawned. "You already have something to wear, don't you?"

Kimberly was now giving her a simpering sweet smile. "Yeah."

"So we came here...just for me?" 

Kimberly propped her chin on Trini's shoulder, bobbing her head back and forth and wordlessly grinning. 

"I hate you." 

Before Trini could realize what was happening, Kimberly had placed a quick peck on her cheek and was walking off towards the checkout with a laugh. "I know."

* * *

 

  
After a quick stop at Kimberly's house for her dress, ("Where are your parents?" "Who knows.") and a stint at a fast food restaurant for an early dinner. ("How many burritos do you think I could eat in under five minutes?" "Kimberly, _no_.") They arrived back at Trini's place.

Trini flopped onto her bed on her stomach with a huff, causing Kimberly to laugh. "Did I wear you out?"

"No." her voice was muffled in the duvet.

"Okayy," Kimberly singsonged, slinging her backpack off and onto the desk chair. She hung her dress that was hidden in the plastic garment bag on the door of the wardrobe, right beside where Trini had put her own. Her next words made Trini's heart rate speed up. "Is it cool if I shower? My hair feels like straw from all that chlorine." 

"Towels are in the closet." Trini said casually, lifting her head to pick at her nails. In any other circumstances, she would have already chipped all the polish off, but there was something... endearing, about the pink. 

Kimberly disappeared into the hallway, and a moment later the showered turned on with a hiss. Trini set to work on her own hair--anything to distract from the fact that Kimberly was naked, in her house, in her shower, mere feet away. She brushed out the braids on the side of her head, and vehemently tried to twist it into something at the nape of her neck. When that didn't work, she tried the same thing on the top of her head, but her hair was so poofed out that it refused to go into the ponytail holder. After a couple minutes, she gave up with a frustrated huff. 

She must have been working on it for more than a couple minutes, because the water in the bathroom turned off that very second, and footsteps came the next moment. "How long did it take you to chop off all your hair, and can you please teach m--" Trini stopped short when Kimberly walked in, clothed in only a towel secured firmly around her torso. 

"Sorry, I forgot clothes." 

Trini shook her head to clear her thoughts and jumped to open her dresser drawer. She fished out a white and yellow striped camisole and pair of shorts, handing them to Kimberly wordlessly.

"I should have gotten some when I stopped at home, are you sure you're okay with me wearing everything you own?" 

_More than okay with it._ "Of course, you look cuter in them than I do anyways."

Trini chalked Kimberly's pink cheeks up to having just gotten out of a hot shower. She took the clothes and went back to the bathroom, returning a moment later, towel in hand. "What's this you were saying about my hair?" 

Trini sat on the edge of her matteress with a shake of her head. "Nothing, just frustrated with mine is all."

"Can I give it a shot?" 

Trini held out her brush. "Be my guest."

Kimberly climbed onto the bed behind her, grabbing the brush and gently combing it through her hair. Trini struggled to hold in a sigh as Kimberly's deft fingers went to work styling her hair into something at the back of her head. After a couple minutes, Trini let her eyes shut, enjoying the feeling of Kimberly's hand whenever it briefly coasted her neck or temple. Every time she leaned forward, her chest would press up against Trini's back, making it harder and harder to breathe. 

When Kimberly finally announced that she was finished, Trini breathed a sigh of both relief and disappointment. She got up to go look in the mirror and blinked in surprise. Two sections of hair towards the front had been braided back and together, and the rest of the hair hung in soft waves. Kimberly had somehow managed to turn her rats nest into a beautiful chocolate river.

"Nice work, Hart." 

" _You're welcome_." she said pointedly. 

"Thank you." Trini said with an eye roll. 

"Much better," she glanced at the clock and her eyes widened."Shoot, I gotta start getting ready." she grabbed her make up bag out of her backpack and went to the bathroom, leaving Trini to fend for herself on the makeup spectrum of things. 

She still felt the lingering touch of Kimberly's fingers on her skin, and shook her head. "What are you getting yourself into, Trini."

* * *

 

  
"Kimberly, come on!" Trini yelled up the stairs, impatiently tapping her nails against the banister. She had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes and was getting antsy, the prospect of what they were about to do making anxiety bubble up in her stomach. "If you take any longer I'm leaving without yo--holy shit." 

Kimberly had appeared at the top of the stairs, and, to put it lightly, Trini was glad she had something to hold onto.

The dress was a light peach color, and flowing material nearly reached her ankles. The sides had long slits up them that revealed snippets of skin as she walked down each stair, and the top of the dress was the opposite--the halter high and encompassing her neck. She must have stored some heels in her bag, because when she came to a stop in front of Trini, she towered over her more than usual. 

"Well, don't we clean up nicely." 

Trini tore her eyes away from Kimberly's body to focus on her face, which was flawlessly done in light nude and pink tones--unlike Trini's darker and smokier look. She found her voice finally. "Let's go before I change my mind--or this outfit."

* * *

Angel Grove High dances were just that--high school dances. But unfortunately, with it being a small town, and little to no activities being readily available at all times for teenagers--they were all the rage. 

The flashing lights and loud music were already giving Trini a headache, and she wondered why this was even her idea in the first place. She glanced at Kimberly beside her, who must have already been looking at something past Trini's head because she quickly averted her eyes. Trini looked to where she had been, but all she found was a sad snack table and a couple of chaperones disinterestedly watching kids dance. She brushed it off, gazing around the gym at the second rate streamers and flashy disco ball hung from the ceiling. 

"You used to come to these? And enjoy them?" Trini shouted over the music. 

"I don't know about enjoy." came Kimberly's reply. 

Trini was about to suggest they ditch and get donuts, when two people descended on them like hawks.

"Would you look at what the cat dragged in."

"Hello to you too, Amanda."Kimberly rolled her eyes. 

"I'm surprised you showed your face here, after everything."

Kimberly smiled sweetly. "I just can't stay away." 

Harper had been eyeing Trini. "Looks like you brought your little pet new girl. Dede, wasn't it?" 

"Her name is Trini," Kimberly said through gritted teeth. "And she's my friend." she stole a quick glance at Trini, who was engaged in a silent staring contest with Harper. "Best friend, actually." 

Trini's heart flipped, and she felt warmth spreading throughout her body that was hotter than the sun. That is, until Amanda started speaking again."Oh please, you're just going to use her like you did us."

"Pretty sure it was the other way around with our so called 'friendship'," Kimberly replied, before grabbing Trini's hand. "Let's go." 

What Trini thought meant 'let's go out the door' was actually, 'let's go to dance floor' as Kimberly pulled her through the moving bodies towards the center of the room, ignoring the stares and instead turning to take both of Trini's hands in her own and starting to move. 

The corners of Trini's mouth turned up and pretty soon Kimberly was spinning her around and she was throwing her head back with laughter. The pumping bass of whatever song had been playing ended, replaced with a slower, sweet song. Some people filtered off the dance floor, and Trini was about to do the same, when suddenly Kimberly pulled her in by the waist, pressing her flush against her body. Trini's breath hitched in her throat and she had no other choice then to place her hands on Kimberly's neck.

"What are you doing?" her voice came out a low whisper, and dared not look up at Kimberly.

"Dancing, you?" 

"Same I-I guess." 

Trini tried to focus on anything but her chest pressed against Kimberly, or the fact that their height difference was so vast she could barely see over her shoulder to gauge the other party-goers reactions.

Kimberly bent her head next to Trini's ear. "Don't worry about them." 

Goosebumps rose on her arms, and she reminded herself to breathe as they swayed along to the music.The song seemed to last for hours, and when it finally ended, Trini nearly forget they were in public. 

Kimberly pulled away rather abruptly, letting her hands drop before smoothing them on her dress. "I'm gonna go get us some water." she was gone before Trini could blink, and she couldn't help the twinge of hurt that went through her chest. 

She picked her way off the dance floor and leaned against the wall over in a more secluded corner, challenging any looks that were sent her way with a searing glare. 

After a few minutes, Kimberly still hadn't returned and Trini was starting to get worried. She moved closer to where the refreshments were, weaving through bodies and dancing couples to find that Kimberly was nowhere in sight. She panicked for a moment before remembering that bathroom's existed and she was probably just in one of them. Trini fidgeted for a couple more minutes before making a decision. She pushed through the gym doors, turning right down the hallway to where the nearest women's bathroom was.

She nearly ran right into Amanda and Harper, who were laughing with their heads bowed together. When they saw Trini, they laughed harder, urging her feet to go faster to where Kimberly was. She made it to the bathrooms and nearly pushed the door off it's hinges. Inside she found Kimberly, standing with the water running in the sink, and desperately trying to blot a large dark stain blooming across the front of her dress with a wad of paper towels. When the door flew open, she didn't react, instead continuing to rub at the obviously ruined material. 

"Did they do this? Oh I'm gonna--" Trini turned to go back out the door, but Kimberly stopped her.

"Trini, no. It's not worth it." her voice cracking was what made Trini stop, and when she turned back around, her heart crumbled. Kimberly was bent over the sink, the discarded towels left scattered on the floor around her. When she looked up at Trini in the mirror, her eyes were glassy with tears.

"Oh, Kimberly." 

Trini appeared by her side, reaching a hand out to hesitantly put on her back. Kimberly practically melted into the touch, urging Trini to snake an arm around her waist. The next thing she knew, Kimberly's face was buried in her chest, hands tucked up against her stomach and breaths coming in uneven gasps. Trini tangled a hand in her hair, the other one moving up and down her back in soothing strokes.

Trini knew this wasn't just because of the dress--this was the kind of crying that builds up for so long that the drop of a pen sets it off.

They stood there rocking for what felt like hours, the only sounds the distant murmur of music and the slow drip of one of the faucets. 

When Kimberly's breathing finally slowed down, she lifted her head enough to where Trini could press a gentle kiss to her temple. Kimberly shut her eyes, leaning into the touch. She let herself have the moment for a few more seconds, and then bent over the sink next to her with her head bowed. 

Trini kept a hand on her back, but let her gather herself. Kimberly straightened up after a few minutes and let out a shaky breath. Her makeup was smudged, and a tear still lingered on her cheek. Trini reached out a hand and brushed it away, a soft smile flitting on her face. "Let's go home."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just can't keep myself away from hurt/comfort oK. song playing while they're slow dancing was most definitely secret love song part II by little mix
> 
> remember when everybody used to put r&r at the end of fanfic lets start doing that again
> 
> R&R !!!!!!


	4. no one's ever gonna hurt you, love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trini is a stubborn little shit when she's sick but also a mega cuddle monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is it possible for two people to be dating without either knowing it? i think this chapter will answer your question

Kimberly roughly kicked at the sheets in an attempt to get comfortable. They bunched around her ankles and exposed her bare legs to the cool air, causing a shiver to run through her spine--though that could have been caused by her current thought process. She looked to the desk chair across the room where a pair of sweatpants lay innocently, almost taunting her by how far they were in the darkness. Upon arriving back at Trini's house earlier that night, she had stripped out of her dress fairly quickly, eager to rid of the garment, and climbed right under the covers and fell asleep--which brought her to her current problem. Having gone to bed early, she had already gotten six hours of sleep,which her body seemed to have decided was enough, and absolutely refused to let her go any longer. 

Her brain was _not_ helping.

Not only did it want to turn over the events of that night--Amanda and Harper, spilling some kind of punch all over her dress whilst also spilling insults as she stood, frozen, unable to even get a word in, let alone a punch.--but it also wanted to replay an image of a certain someone laying right next to her, in a certain dress, that hugged certain areas in ways Kimberly could not get out of her head. Not to mention the way that certain someone had looked wearing Kimberly's leather jacket. Or the way it had felt to run her hands across the material of that dress, right above the slope of a certain someones hip...

She shook her head, as if to rid the thoughts and breathed out a heavy sigh, the coolness in the air distracting her for a moment. She could either get up and cross the room to get a pair of pants(and shirt, while she's at it,) or cuddle closer to the girl next to her for warmth, which could very severely make her insomnia problems worse. 

The heat radiating from Trini was too enticing to resist, and Kimberly found herself turning on her side to wiggle closer up against Trini's back, tucking her arms and knees in as tightly as she could. A sound from in front of her made her question if she should have done anything at all, and she nearly rolled away, but a voice stopped her. 

"What are you doing?" 

Trini's voice was thick with sleep, causing Kimberly's already racing heart to pump faster. 

"I'm cold." she whispered. 

The mattress shifted as Trini turned slowly towards her. Her hair was still in the braids Kimberly had done earlier, though they were a bit messier now, and she was thankful her eyes had already been adjusting in the darkness for awhile now, because the look on Trini's half-awake face was priceless. She looked Kimberly up and down and blinked groggily. 

"It's because you're naked." 

"Only a little bit." she pouted. "You were really warm."

Trini closed her eyes, folding her arm to rest it on her pillow beneath her head. "Well c'mere then." she held her other arm open. 

Kimberly took a deep breath, already regretting what she was about to do. She shuffled forward until the entire length of Trini's body was pressed against hers, and tucked her head underneath her chin. The warmth was immediate, and Kimberly let out a contented sigh. 

Trini let her arm fall loosely over Kimberly's shoulder, and she must have felt Kimberly's hesitation to wrap her own around Trini's waist, because she grabbed it and pulled it onto her side with a small huff. "I won't bite." her voice held an air of teasing. 

"I know." Kimberly's muffled her's in Trini's chest, enjoying the way her heartbeat sped up beneath her thin t-shirt.

It was silent for nearly fifteen more minutes, and Kimberly had a feeling Trini had fallen asleep. She was nearly right there with her, until Trini spoke softly into her hair. "I don't feel good, Kim." 

Kimberly raised her head slightly. Their bodies were starting to get sticky, but she figured that was just the result of close proximity. She reached a hand up to find Trini's forehead and let out a low hiss between her teeth. "You're burning up, babe."

The corners of her mouth lifted. "I like that."

"You like having a fever?"

"I like you calling me babe, you should do it more often." 

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "If you let me check your temperature I'll call you anything you want." she reached to flick on the bedside lamp, but not before Trini could grab her wrist. 

"Too bright." 

Kimberly sighed, letting her hand drop. "Where's your thermometer?" 

"Bathroom," she waved her hand vaguely. "Maybe kitchen."

"Kitchen?" 

"Yeah, we got one of those food thermometers I think." 

"Oh my god," Kimberly shook her head with a laugh. "I'm going to go find a _human_ thermometer, try not to get any more delirious before I get back."

 

After much rummaging through cupboards, Kimberly finally found a suitable thermometer and returned to the darkened room, clothed in only a zip up hoodie she'd grabbed on the way out. Upon returning, it seemed that Trini had decided to join her in her nakedness, as she was sprawled on the bed wearing nothing but a white t-shirt bra and...were those _pink_ underwear? Kimberly shook off all the places her mind went in that moment, instead focusing on the task at hand. 

"Move, sicky." she climbed onto the bed, shoving one of Trini's legs over to make room for her to perch on her knees above her. 

Trini puckered out a lower lip. "Don't be mean to me." 

Kimberly brushed a strand of damp hair that was stuck to her forehead aside.

"It's tough love." 

Trini's eye's fluttered shut when Kimberly's hand made contact with her skin. "That feels nice." 

"You feel sweaty, open up." Kimberly held out the thermometer and Trini opened up her mouth comically wide, allowing her to slip the thermometer beneath her tongue. She clamped it shut just as quick, nearly catching one of Kimberly's fingers. 

"So you _do_ bite."

Trini could only make a smug face in return, and Kimberly got up again to grab some fever reducers and water. The thermometer beeped just as she walked back in to the now some-what stuffy room. She pulled it out with a low whistle. "You got a fever alright." she handed Trini the pills, who popped them back quickly before settling back on the pillows. 

"Anything else hurt?" 

"Head, throat a little." she rasped. "Mostly feels like my body is on fire." 

Kimberly was about to lay back down next to her, but then Trini held out her arms and made a face that nearly had Kimberly's heart melting out of her chest. 

"Hold me?" 

"You're needy when you're sick." she climbed up next to her anyways, sitting back and pulling Trini into her side. She immediately wrapped a leg around her torso and threw in arm across her chest, nuzzling her head into Kimberly's neck with a small huff of breath. 

Kimberly had to remind herself to breathe, intently focusing on keeping her heart rate down so as to not alert Trini to how much she was affecting her. Trini thankfully wasn't alert to much of anything at the moment, and after a few moments her breathing evened out and her arm lost some of it's initial vice grip on Kimberly's ribs.

Combined with the warmth of Trini's body spreading throughout her own, and the steady puffs of air against her neck, after a few minutes, Kimberly finally slipped away into a deep sleep.

* * *

 

  
Kimberly awoke to a loud noise to her right, and she briefly wondered if they were under attack--until she realized the sound was coughing. She pried her eyes open to find Trini turned away, coughing harshly into her hand, body shuddering with the strength of each one. 

Kimberly sat up slowly, blinking the sleep and harsh sunlight streaming in through the windows out of her eyes. She reached out a hand to gently rub on Trini's back. She flinched slightly, before realizing who it was and relaxing against Kimberly's palm. She let out a few more coughs before sinking back onto the pillows, and Kimberly finally got a good look at her face. 

The circles under her eyes were darker than usual, and her normally bronze skin had lost some of it's warmth, replaced with an almost grayish hue. She looked up at Kimberly with a shaky smile and a sniffle. "Sleeping beauty has awoken." her voice was far more nasally then it had been that night, and Kimberly reached out to feel her forehead with the back of her hand. 

"How're you feeling?"

"Like I got slapped halfway around the world by Rita Repulsa." 

Kimberly huffed a laugh. "Well I think your fever has gone down, so there's that." 

Trini coughed into her arm. "And fifty other things replaced it." 

"You should eat," Trini made a face. "I'll be right back." 

Kimberly climbed out of bed, despite the protests that followed, and made her way downstairs to the quiet kitchen. She put a couple pieces of bread into the toaster oven for the two of them and went through the bathroom cupboards while she waited for them to heat up. 

"Sorry, Trini." she said, looking down at the innocent bottle of cherry cough syrup held in her hand. 

After quickly eating her own breakfast, she took a plate upstairs with the bottle of medicine hidden behind her. Trini was in the same position as she had left her, sat up against the pillows with her head tipped back and an arm thrown across her eyes. Upon hearing Kimberly enter she let out a grown. "If I eat anything right now I'll throw up on you."

Kimberly set the plate on the table closest to Trini's side of the bed, right next to her water from the night before. She settled on the edge of the mattress and watched as Trini blinked an eye at her through the gap in her arm. 

"What is that." she posed the question as a statement, already knowing it was not something good. 

"Nothing you're going to like." 

Trini's groan of disapproval quickly turned into a coughing fit, and Kimberly waited patiently with the bottle and a spoon she had brought up. Once she'd finished, Trini glared at Kimberly through long lashes. 

"I'd rather die then drink any of that poison."

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad."

"Yes, it is."

"It will make you feel better!" 

"You know what else would make me feel better? Death."

"Trini!" 

Nearly ten minutes passed of Kimberly desperately trying to give her the cough medicine, and finally Trini relented. 

"Okay I'll do it," Kimberly's eyes lit up. "Under one condition."

"Anything."she sighed.

"Call me babe again." 

Kimberly laughed, before seeing the look on Trini's face. "Oh, you're serious? Okay then, _babe_." 

Trini pushed the bottle away, turning to cough again. "Nu uh, not like that. Say it like you mean it." 

Kimberly rolled her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day, before setting down the cough syrup and scooting closer to the expectant Trini. She leaned in close, brushing her hair behind her ear with careful ease. Trini's pupils dilated, and Kimberly heard her breath catch in her throat. 

"Will you please take your medicine, _baby_." 

Kimberly worried she had gone too far, as Trini stared unblinking at her for what felt like minutes. She was ready to make it a joke, pretend she meant that Trini was being a big baby for not taking her medicine and blow it off with a laugh. But suddenly, Trini grabbed the bottle off the nightstand, untwisted the cap, poured what was probably way too much into the spoon, and downed it in one gulp. 

Kimberly's eyebrows shot up as Trini wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, settling back onto the pillows propped behind her. 

"Whatever you say, Doctor Hart."

* * *

 

  
Trini's sudden streak of obedience came to a grinding halt just mere minutes after Kimberly had gotten her to eat some toast. 

"It's not that far!"

"It's a thousand miles from my bed." 

"Trini, it is a million degrees in here, you need fresh air!" 

"I'm perfectly fine with my stuffiness, thank you very much."

Kimberly huffed and sat back, trying hard to be visibly annoyed, when really she was enjoying the cute way Trini had set her mouth and was burning a hole into the wall across from her with the heat of her stare.

"Don't you want to get better?"

"If it means walking all the way down the stairs? No." 

Kimberly's face lit up with an idea. "Who said anything about walking?"

Trini's eyebrows scrunched and she finally tore her eyes off the wall to look at Kimberly. "Kim, what--" 

Kimberly didn't let her finish her sentence, instead leaning over to place a hand around Trini's back, shoving the other beneath her legs and lifting the smaller girl up with ease.

"Kimberly!" 

"You said you didn't want to walk." 

Trini tried with great difficulty to school her features into something angry, but failed miserably as the corners of her mouth started to turn up.She slumped against Kimberly's chest with a huff. "So not what I meant." she mumbled.

Kimberly took the stairs carefully, aware that if she dropped Trini on her ass she may never hear the end of it. Not to mention, she probably wouldn't let Kimberly carry her again, which was so something Kimberly didn't realize she wanted until the steady weight of Trini's body against her own raised goosebumps on her skin and caused her palms to start sweating. 

They made it down the stairs with no injuries, and Kimberly deposited Trini onto the couch. She landed with a grunt and looked up at Kimberly through a mess of hair. "I hate you."

"I know." she lifted Trini's legs and sat down, placing them over hers. She grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned on the tv, flipping to some daytime talk show and leaning back against the cushions. 

Trini pulled the blanket that was hanging over the side of the couch onto herself and wiggled against the hard surface of the sofa's arm. Kimberly watched in amusement as she tried to get comfortable, eyebrows pulled low and bottom lip jutted out slightly. After nearly a minute of trying different positions, she glared at Kimberly.

"My bed is softer." 

"Your bed is sweaty." They commenced a staring contest that only lasted a few moments, before Trini pulled her legs up under her to perch on her knees, and then laid back down on her stomach.

The only problem with this is that her head wasn't on the couch--it was on Kimberly's thighs.

Kimberly ignored her heart pounding in her chest as Trini flung an arm across her bare skin, raising even more goosebumps then earlier. She cursed them as Trini turned her head up to look at her with a sly smirk. "Cold?" 

"Nope, just peachy." she said through gritted teeth.

Kimberly snapped her eyes shut for a moment, trying to think of something, anything, to change the subjet. 

"When is your family coming home?" 

_Good going Kimberly. You got a pretty girl in your lap and you make small talk about her parents._

She hushed her inner monologue and Trini shrugged. "Tonight, I think." she reached for her phone on the coffee table, where Kimberly had vaguely remembered her leaving it there the night before.

Trini was quiet for a couple moments as she read her texts. Her breath seemingly hitched, but she quickly covered it with a clear of her throat.

"Everything okay?" 

"Y-yeah, my mom just said there's some big storms headed this way and they're not sure if they'll make it back tonight." 

"Oh, that's good then right? More time alone." Kimberly backtracked. "I mean, more time for _you_ to be alone. By yourself, not _us,_ together, alone, but like--" she yelped as Trini pinched a small amount of skin on her thigh between her fingers. "I know what you mean, Hart." 

She put her phone down. "But yeah, it's great." There was a hint of feigned cheeriness behind her words, but Kimberly let it drop. She instead turned her attention to Trini's mop of hair in her lap. The braids were still in but not holding much of anything, and Kimberly started to undo them one by one, unraveling each little knot. She felt a sigh go through Trini's body once she undid the braids, raking softly through the tangles and massaging her scalp gently with her fingertips. She continued to comb through Trini's highlighted locks until she was satisfied with the smoothness. Once her hand stilled, a noise of disapproval came from beneath the curls. 

"What was that?"

"Don't stop." Trini's voice was nasally and quiet, but Kimberly heard her quite clearly, and she carried on with a smug smile that Trini unfortunately couldn't see. 

Minutes passed, and pretty soon the gentle puff of Trini's breathing against her thigh told her she was asleep. Kimberly settled back onto the couch with a sigh. 

_You're going to be here awhile, Hart._

* * *

'Awile' turned out to be nearly two hours. Kimberly spent it watching dumb sitcoms on tv and messing around on games on her phone, all while Trini was zonked out on her now practically numb legs. It had been raining for about an hour, but the wind was just starting to pick up, whistling through the windows in a way that made Kimberly's skin crawl. 

The first clap of thunder was deafening, and nearly shook the whole house--as well as Trini. 

She shot up out of Kimberly's lap with a gasp, and she thought for a moment it was just the loud noise that had spooked her, until she turned to look at Kimberly with wide, panicked eyes. 

"Hey," she reached out to put a hand on her back. "It's okay, it's just the storm." 

Trini relaxed slightly under her touch, until another clap of thunder came. She jumped, nearly sending herself falling off the couch and onto the floor, but Kimberly stopped her just in time. She pulled Trini in so that her lower back was bumped up against Kimberly's legs, and her head close enough to lay on her chest. Her arm came around her shoulders, whilst Trini's slipped around her waist to grip at the fabric of her sweatshirt. 

Another clap of thunder shook the house, making Trini tense up against her. Kimberly rubbed firm circles on her back, leaning in to speak softly into her ear. "You're safe, Trini." 

Trini stayed quiet, breaths coming in uneven gasps against her chest. She noticed that Trini was still in far less clothing then she, and pulled the blanket that had slipped down moments ago, up and over her trembling body. She was practically in her lap now, and in any other circumstances she would have been a blushing mess, but Kimberly could only focus on the fact that her heart felt like it was braking into a million pieces every time a clap of thunder pulled another shudder from the smaller girl. 

_If I could knock this storm on it's ass, I would._

The rain was beating harder against the windows, and lightening flickered more frequently, followed by a boom of thunder that seemed to be louder than the one before.

She tried to think of something to drown it out, but her phone was upstairs and Trini's had been knocked off in the panic of her waking--along with the remote to turn up the low volume on the tv. The next clap of thunder shook the whole house, rattling the picture frames on the wall,  and Trini practically jumped out of her arms. Kimberly pulled her tighter against her chest, continuing a steady rhythm of strokes on her back. 

Then, she started to hum. She's not sure exactly what, she'd only heard the tune on the radio once, but it was enough to stick in her mind. 

Kimberly wasn't sure it was working, until Trini's breathing settled to less strangled gasps, and her fingers let loose some of their grip on Kimberly's jacket. A couple minutes passed, and Trini finally stopped flinching with every clap of thunder, her body only shaking slightly, opposed to the previous extreme shuddering. 

Kimberly's humming petered out as well, but she kept her fingers combing through Trini's hair. She pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, lingering there for a moment longer than what was probably necessary.

"I was having a dream." Trini managed weakly, voice slightly muffled against Kimberly's chest. 

Kimberly shushed her. "You don't have to explain." 

"Rita was in my room again." 

"Trini--"

"She had her hands around my neck." she shivered. "She wasn't going to kill me though." she lifted her head to look at Kimberly, eyes bloodshot and glassy. "She was going to kill you." her voice broke, and Kimberly crumbled, pulling Trini further onto her lap and wrapping both arms firmly around her waist. 

"Rita's gone, Trini. It was just a dream." 

"I know," Trini buried her face in Kimberly's neck. "It felt so real though." she whispered. 

The storm had let up a bit outside, and small pockets of sunlight were beginning to peak through the clouds. 

"I'm real," Kimberly tugged on a strand of Trini's hair. "And alive." she added. 

"I can tell." 

The change in Trini's voice made her raise an eyebrow. "How so?" 

"Your heart's beating so fast." her voice was low, and she gazed up at Kimberly through heavy lidded eyes. 

Kimberly stole a glance at her, which was a huge mistake. One look and she actually _felt_ her heart rate pick up speed, causing Trini to let out a soft chuckle. Kimberly lightly bopped her on the arm with a shake of her head. "Go back to sleep."

She could tell Trini was fighting it, her eyes desperately pulling down. Kimberly wrapped an arm around her, settling back against the cushions. 

"I'll be right here when you wake up."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hurt/comfort two chapters in a row?? HELL YEAH 
> 
> leave a comment tell me all your thoughts!!


	5. you're touching my skin, and you're leaving me hopeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trini quickly discovers that roller rinks are full of more than one kind of frustration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i went roller skating for my bday a couple days ago and had to do this o k a y

Trini stared at her reflection in the mirror, uncomfortably tugging at the hem of the yellow crop top. It smelled like the back of her closet--which is where it had been living for the past several months. She had bought it on a whim, thinking she might wear it around the house in the summer, but it had left the shopping bag and immediately been discarded, never to be seen by the light of day.

Until now.

She doesn't know why she's suddenly self-conscious about her outfit choice (her style typically consisted of day old clothes picked up off the floor in a last minute dash to leave the house), this wasn't a fancy occasion like the dance.

It was just Kimberly.

It was just Kimberly who had recently seen her completely lose her shit over a harmless thunderstorm. It was just Kimberly who had held her and rocked her until the tears dried. It was just Kimberly who had called practically non-stop on the couple of sick days Trini had off school just to ask how she was feeling (and if she needed any homemade chicken noodle soup). It was just Kimberly who snuck out her bedroom window at five in the morning after Trini's family had unexpectedly come home, nearly catching the two of them tangled up together and fast asleep on the sofa. And it was just Kimberly who had invited her out tonight in the first place.

* * *

  
The sounds of chattering teenagers and lockers slamming was enough to make Trini want to rip her hair out, as she closed her own locker and tugged on her backpack with a huff.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she nearly swung a fist upon spinning around--though that would have been disastrous seeing as the one person she had been wanting to see all day was standing right in front of her.

Kimberly's smile nearly made all the commotion around them melt away--along with Trini's legs.

"Hey!"

"Hey," Trini gave a small smile in return, unable to help the way the corner of her lips tugged up.

"How're you feeling?"

Trini rolled her eyes. "I'm not sick any more Kimberly, you don't have to keep asking me that."

"Right, sorry. Habit," she shrugged her backup further up onto her shoulder. "I wanted to ask you something else though."

Trini's stomach clenched, and she leaned against the lockers in an attempt to look casual. "Okay, shoot."

"Do you wanna go out with me tonight?" she quickly backtracked with a wince. "I mean not-- _go out_ like the two of us, _alone_ , go out," she shut her eyes and tilted her head back. "I mean do you wanna hang out with me," Another wince. "and the boy's."

Trini's racing heart was thankfully not audible to anyone but her at the moment. "Yeah sure, at Billy's place?"

"Actually, no," Kimberly's eye's glinted. "It's a surprise."

Trini laughed. "We're gonna hang out at a surprise location? As in not our usual cave dwellings?"

Kimberly nodded, flashing a smile. "It'll be fun, I promise."

"Hmm," Trini pretended to think about it, casually tapping a finger on her chin as Kimberly practically bounced on her heels. "Okay, sure."

The bell rang and Kimberly started walking off towards her next class. She smiled over her shoulder at Trini. "Pick you up at seven."

* * *

Trini's phone buzzed, pulling her out of her thoughts and away from trying to smooth her hair down in the mirror.

 

**_Kimmy_ **

_The guys bailed_  
_Guess it's just you and me now :)_

 

She wiped her sweaty palms on the leg of her jeans before typing out a reply.

 

**_Trini_ **

  _ugh losers_  
_it's a date :)_

**_Kimmy_ **

_Be there in ten_

 

"Where are you taking me?"

"Be patient!"

The road stretched out in front of them, and Trini watched as a droplet of rain on the windshield got whisked away by the beating wipers. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the passenger window with a heavy sigh.

"If you're gonna murder me tonight, just know I plan on coming back to haunt you for the rest of eternity."

Kimberly laughed, reaching to turn the volume dial up on the radio."If I was going to kill you, I would have done it long ago."

Trini rolled her eyes with a laugh of her own. "Fair enough."

The song playing on the radio was some pop tune Trini didn't recognize, although Kimberly seemed to, as she started singing along. So softly at first, Trini could barely hear it over the hum of the engine and pattering of rain on the roof.

Pretty soon though, Kimberly's lilting voice washed over Trini like a tidal wave, bringing with it the warmth that she had felt when Kimberly had sang to her the night of the storm. She shifted in her seat, willing her eyes to stay focused on the horizon and not drift to openly stare at the girl beside her.

It wasn't until she felt Kimberly's expectant gaze flicking from the road to her every few seconds that she turned her head to look.

"What?"

"Sing!"

Trini shook her head. "I don't even know the words!" 

"Make them up!" Kimberly shouted over the music.

She took a deep breath, throwing caution to the wind--and her dignity out the window--and started humming along. With Kimberly's prodding, she was eventually belting out the song, making up lyrics that grew more and more ridiculous with each chorus.

Kimberly's laughter, combined with her voice trying to keep up with the song in between, was enough to make any of the anxiety Trini felt going into tonight evaporate, replaced by a feeling in the pit of her stomach she couldn't describe. She looked over at Kimberly, who's eyes were sparkling in the dimness of the passing streetlights.

"You're so cute."

The words slipped out before Trini could stop them, and she prayed that the song washed them out--but she wasn't that lucky.

The song had ended right as she spoke, and a deafening silence filled the car. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before opening them again and facing Kimberly. She stared at her with an unreadable expression, and Trini realized they had come to a stop in a parking lot, as Kimberly's eyes weren't flitting to the road every two seconds.

It was hard to tell in the darkness, but Trini thought she saw the corners of her mouth flit up, making butterflies erupt in her stomach.

"You're not so bad yourself."

Trini breathed a sigh of relief, hoping her pink cheeks couldn't be spotted in the dim light.

Kimberly unlocked the car and clicked Trini's seat belt open, as well as her own, moving to open the door. She waggled her eyebrows. "Are you ready for a dose of good old fashioned fun?"

Trini tipped her head back with a laugh. "You're such a dork."

"Cute and a dork, I'll take it." she pushed the door open and climbed out, prompting Trini to do the same.

The building they had pulled up to was fairly old, grey paint chipping off the sides and overhangs dripping with stale rainwater. Trini squinted at the broken sign for a moment, before turning to Kimberly with a dead pan expression.

" _Roller skating_ , really? What are we, twelve?"

Kimberly linked her arm with Trini's and started towards the entrance. "You won't be saying that when I beat your ass on the rink."

"Oh it is _on_."

 

Trini was not going to admit she was a bad skater--she was just out of practice, that was all.

She clutched at the dark velvet railing of the rinks inner wall, trying in vain to keep from toppling over with a pinched brow of concentration. Super human strength and agility could let her jump over a house, but not let her keep her footing on four wheels? She gritted her teeth in frustration, as yet another child not even in the double digits yet flew past her with confidence and ease.

The children weren't the only one's gliding about like gazelles with confidence and ease. Kimberly Hart seemed to have mastered the art of roller skating before Trini, and was doing multiple laps around the rink in the time it took Trini to get around once. Every time she'd pass her, Kimberly would throw a dazzling smile that lit up the entire room--and nearly made Trini fall right on her ass.

On occasion, Trini would gain some confidence and let go of the railing. The first few seconds went okay, until someone behind her would whiz by, making her lose her footing and seek shelter back on the safety of the wall. She continued her shuffling, eyes downcast and lips pulled into a tight line, until another pair of skates appeared in front of her own.

A hand reached out to smooth the crease in between her eyebrows. Trini was becoming all too familiar with that touch, and she glanced up quickly before training her eyes on the floor again.

"Come to gloat?"

Kimberly scoffed. "Please, I almost ate it over there after one of those kids quite literally skated _under_ my legs."

Trini lifted her head to look at Kimberly. Her face was practically glowing under the ever changing strobe lighting that spun around the rink, and her jacket had come off to tie around her waist, revealing the thin pink straps on her bra that Trini had always had the urge to reach out and touch. Her hair was a mess of short curls atop her head, and she was currently trying to blow a strand away from her eyes with some difficulty.

Trini was about to reach out and help, but she nearly lost her footing again, causing her to grit her teeth in aggravation.

"Need any help?" she could tell Kimberly was holding in a laugh.

"Nope, I've got it, thanks,"she gave her a simpering sweet smile, making Kimberly roll her eyes.

"Come on," she held out her hands. "You have to let go of the railing sometime."

Trini huffed and then took a deep breath. She let go of the edge of wall, standing on her own for all of two seconds, before practically falling on Kimberly and grabbing onto her forearms for support. She ignored the way Kimberly's sculpted muscles felt taught beneath her grip, and dared to skate forwards.

Kimberly went backwards, slowly but surely dragging her along. She would speak reassurances softly, making goosebumps erupt on Trini's skin, and sparking memories. " _It's okay._ " and " _I've got you._ " brought her back to that one fateful afternoon, when Kimberly had whispered those exact words to her whilst holding her against her chest and gently rocking her side to side until the storm had passed and her tears had dried. The feeling of Kimberly's lips pressed against her scalp still lingered, and Trini struggled to contain the warmth spreading across her cheeks as she pulled her around the rink, checking behind her shoulder every once and awhile for other skaters, but ultimately focusing all her attention on Trini.

After a few laps around, Trini had gained enough balance for Kimberly to only hold one hand and skate beside her. She was humming along to the song playing through the large overhead speakers and swinging their arms in between them, and Trini had the sudden urge to capture this moment forever.

She tugged on Kimberly's hand, pulling her over to a more secluded area by the railing and grabbing her phone out of her jacket pocket. She flipped it to the front facing camera and ignored Kimberly's smug look.

"Told you it'd be fun."

"Shut up and take the picture, you have longer arms."

Kimberly shook her head with a laugh and took the phone from her hand, holding it in front of them to snap a few standard smiling photo's. Trini was about to pull away, when suddenly Kimberly's lips were on her cheek.

The first time Kimberly had kissed her there, it had been a blink-and-you'll-miss-it-peck, this time though, she lingered for the picture, allowing Trini to get the full experience.

Kimberly Harts lips were the softest and warmest thing she had ever felt--she nearly toppled over at the thought of them brushing her own lips.

Or on her jaw.

Or her neck.

Her chest.

Her--

She was broken out of her blush-inducing thoughts by Kimberly pulling away and handing her back her phone.

"I took a billion, there's gotta be some good ones."

Trini took the phone with slightly shaking hands, and quickly grabbed onto the railing for support. She was glad she did as she flipped through the pictures, each one more gut wrenchingly cute than the next. She glanced up at Kimberly, who was leaning against the railing and kicking her skates absentmindedly.

"You can go on ahead, I'm just going to post one of these,"she told her.

Kimberly nodded, turning to roll away while Trini picked out one of the pictures of the two. The cheek kissing ones were by far the sweetest, and although Trini wasn't too big of a fan of her cheesy grin in all of them, she posted one anyways. She was about to stick her phone back in her pocket and go after Kimberly, but a notification made her stop.

Zack had already liked the photo--and left a comment.

 _so now u lovebirds are hanging out w/out us? cruel :(_  
_cute tho ;)_

Trini blinked, furrowing her brow. What was he talking about? She was about to reply and ask--but then it dawned on her.

That same warmth she had felt earlier in the car bloomed in the pit of her stomach, speeding up her heart rate and making it harder to breathe. She was about to go and search for Kimberly, but she had already come back around by the time Trini had zipped her phone in her jacket.

"Hey." she skidded to a halt in front of her, barely out of breath.

"Hey." Trini examined her for a moment, eyebrows knit and bottom lip pursed out.

"Is everything okay?" Kimberly tilted her head. "You're looking at me funny."

Trini let her face relax, leaning against the railing. "Nah, everything's good. It's just," she feigned casualty. "Did the guys tell you why they couldn't come tonight?"

Kimberly shrugged. "Oh, this and that,"

"This and that?"

"Yup." she was actively avoiding Trini's eyes now, looking everywhere but at the girl in front of her.

"Kimberly," Trini warned.

"Mmhmm?"

"Did you even _invite_ them?"

She stayed quiet, intensely focusing on a speck on the wall behind Trini.

"Kimberly!"

"No, no, I didn't okay!" she held her hands up for a few moments, before dropping them with a sigh. She wrung them together and open and closed her mouth like she was trying to find the right words.

"Look, I..." she got closer to Trini. "I didn't want them here tonight."

Trini dared letting go of the railing for a moment, edging closer herself. "Why's that?" she cursed her voice for breaking.

Kimberly closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they nearly burned holes in Trini, smoldering with something she hadn't seen before.

"Because," Kimberly was so close now Trini could smell her flowery perfume. "Maybe I just wanted it to be you...and me."

Trini's breath hitched as Kimberly's hand reached out to gently curve around her waist. All the commotion around them faded away;the music, the lights--everything. A Zord could crash through the ceiling at that very moment and Trini wouldn't have noticed--all she could see was Kimberly. Her deep brown eyes were locked on Trini's, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips, leaving a trail of shine on the pillowy pink surface. Trini gulped as a different kind of heat spread throughout her body, leaving her head spinning and her hands shaking. She was unsure what to do with them, so she opted for keeping them in fists at her side, unable to stop the way her fingernails were harshly digging into her flesh.

Kimberly's head tilted down, and Trini's tilted hers up slightly, before finding her voice.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mhmm," The hand that wasn't on her waist, came up to twirl a strand of Trini's hair. She tugged softly and brought her closer, hips bumping and knee's knocking.

Trini was already having trouble breathing, but now with Kimberly's chest pressed up against her own, it was nearly impossible. She took a shaky inhale, watching as Kimberly dropped her hand and did the same.

The distance between their lips was so minimal, that she could feel Kimberly's breathe mingling with her own.

"Kim," she all but whimpered.

Kimberly's eye's darkened even further, and Trini stopped breathing entirely.

All she had to do was move her chin and she would be kissing Kimberly Hart.

They both leaned forwards, foreheads pressed together, lips nearly brushing when--

 

"ALLLLL RIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! IT'S TIME FOR THE LIMBOOOOO!" 

 

The harsh overhead lights flickered on, turning everything an artificial color as the music abruptly cut off. The yell from the DJ, combined with the extreme change in environment startled Trini so aggressively she jumped backwards out of Kimberly's arms, loosing her balance on her skates and falling flat on her behind. A familiar sharp pain shot through her legs and she blinked in surprised.

Above her, Kimberly stood with her hands covering her mouth and her eyes as wide as saucers. Trini could only catch her breath for a moment, before she set her jaw and grabbed at the railing to hoist herself up. She looked to where some of the workers were setting up a horizontal wood bar in the middle of the rink, sending a glare so severe it would have had Rita Repulsa shaking in her boots.

"Oh I am going to--"she started towards the DJ, shaking with rage.

She barely made it a few feet before Kimberly's arms were wrapped around her waist from behind and pulling her towards the nearest exit.

"Time to go."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry


	6. i'm a little bit lost without you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where's waldo--trini addition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the last chapter and the ones to come (im not sorry) (this is fun)

Kimberly paced in front of her bed, letting out yet another heavy sigh and biting at what was left of her nails. She checked her phone for what was probably the thousandth time in the past couple days, running her hand through her hair in frustration at the blank screen.

Zero new messages.

More importantly--zero new messages from Trini.

No texts, no calls, no snapchats--at this point, Kimberly was willing to accept a carrier pigeon as an acceptable form of communication. 

It had been nearly three days of this. Three days of texts that got delivered but never read, snapchats that got sent but never opened, and calls that went straight to voicemail, leaving Kimberly with a feeling in the pit of her stomach she couldn't shake. She looked back at the last couple messages she had sent, and had to admit they looked pretty desperate, if not pathetic.

**_Saturday, 9:36am:_ **   
_Is everything okay between us? You were really quiet in the car last night_

**_Saturday, 4:50 pm:_ **   
_I'm sorry if I went too far, please talk to me_

**_Saturday, 7:32pm:_ **   
_If you need space, just tell me. Don't shut me out Trin_

**_Sunday, 2:45am:_ **   
_I miss you_

_**Monday, 6:05am:** _   
_Could we at least get doughnuts before school? I can't fight over the last piece all by myself_

Kimberly chewed at her bottom lip, plopping on the edge of her bed with a defeated sigh. She had racked her brain for anything and everything that could have caused Trini to give her the cold shoulder other than the almost-kiss, but always came up short. And yeah, it had scared the shit out of Kimberly too, but with that fear came a happy floaty feeling in her chest that made her cheeks turn bright red and her palms sweat. Along with a warmth that spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes every time she remembered the way the smooth skin of Trini's waist felt beneath her hands, or the way she had smelled like the forest in the spring--blooming roses and pine needles and fresh rain. And her eyes-- _oh god_ her eyes. Dark and heady and looking at Kimberly's lips like they were the only thing on the planet--it was enough to raise goosebumps on her arms just thinking about it even now.

She had thought in that moment that Trini was feeling all the same things she was, but now, she wasn't so sure. 

All that was left to do was confront her at school and either; A: get rejected and create a rift in the team, or B: get a punch on the shoulder and an 'it's all good' smile, leaving the two of them to remain friends with that forever lingering possibility of 'what if' 

Either way, Kimberly was entirely dreading this day.

* * *

 

  
Kimberly slammed her locker with a bang and pressed her forehead to the cool metal, temporarily alleviating the throbbing in her temples. 

It was the end of the school day, and the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach had only grown more intense, given that she hadn't seen Trini once today--not even in biology. Or at lunch. Or in the hallways. Nor the bathrooms, where Kimberly had stayed leaning against the sinks for a lengthy amount of time until she practically forced herself to go to class.

Kids filed out of the large double doors and she reluctantly followed, shielding her eyes to the late afternoon sun that cast blinding rays onto the blacktop of the pavement and scanning the crowd for a familiar face. She spotted Jason weaving through the bodies and ran to catch up with him--with any luck, he had at least spoken to Trini in the past few days and could ease her mind on her whereabouts. 

"Jason!" he halted at the sound of his name and whipped around just as Kimberly appeared in front of him. 

"Hey Kim," he greeted her with a smile.

"Hey," she returned it, although her eyes continued to dart past him to search the sea of faces. "Have you seen Trini today?"

He furrowed his brow. "No, I don't think so, did you try texting her?"

Kimberly sighed. "Yes, about a million times, she won't answer." 

"Calls either?" she shook her head. 

"Would you try calling her?" she practically pleaded.

Jason shrugged and pulled out his phone. Kimberly shifted on her feet and waited as he held the phone to his ear. After a moment, he pulled it away with a shake of his head."Voicemail."

Kimberly ran her hands down her face with a groan. 

"Look, she's probably fine. She's Trini."

"I know, but something happened between us on Friday night, and that was the last time I heard from her." 

"What do you mean something happened between you? Did you fight?" he asked.

"You could say that."

He raised an eyebrow.Kimberly looked around for a moment, before quickly ushering him to the side of the school building where there were less prying eyes from their peers. 

She took a deep breath and met Jason's questioning gaze."We almost kissed."

Jason's eyes widened. He opened and closed his mouth for a moment, gaping like a fish out of water. 

Kimberly crossed her arms and waited impatiently until he schooled his features into something neutral. 

"Wow-I uh, I didn't think you two--"

"Apparently neither did Trini, seeing as now she's gone a-wall."

Jason's gaze softened. He pulled out his phone and started tapping on it. "I'll ask Zack and Billy if they've talked to her, and if not I'll go with you and check her house later."

Some of the tension in Kimberly's shoulder eased as she rested her back against the warm brick of the wall behind her. "Thanks, Jason." 

"No problem," he pocketed his cell phone and squinted at the harsh light of the sun. "So...you and her, huh?"

Kimberly blew a piece of hair out of her eyes with a small puff. "Yeah, me and her."

Jason rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "Well, shit." he swore underneath his breath. Kimberly raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" 

He moved his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose with a small groan. "I owe Zack fifty bucks."

Kimberly's confusion soon turned to aggravation as she reached out and swatted at Jason's shoulder before he could jump out of her reach. "You guys bet on us!?" 

Jason raised his hands in surrender. "Just me and Zack okay, Billy didn't want anything to do with it." 

"Of course he didn't," she sighed. "But you should have known better!" she reached out to smack his arm again. 

"Okay, okay, look," he said through his laughter. "It's not like you guys are subtle, we all saw it." 

Kimberly deflated back against the wall again. "Was it that obvious?" 

"Giant-Goldar-In-The-Middle-Of-The-Street obvious."

She groaned and ran her hands down her face. "And then I tried to kiss her and ruined everything." 

Jason shouldered his backpack. "Well, did she kiss you back?" 

Kimberly dropped her hands with a sigh. "I don't know, we were interrupted but..."she twisted some of the rings on her hand back and forth. "She seemed...into it, I think."

"So it was probably nothing you did, Kimberly."

"Then what was it?"

Jason opened his mouth to answer, but right at that moment his phone dinged. He pulled it out furrowed his brow. 

"Zack hasn't seen her since Friday either," he tapped a few times and then sighed. "Neither has Billy."   
Kimberly drew in a shaky breath as Jason put away his phone. 

"C'mon," he squeezed her shoulder. "Let's try her house."

* * *

Kimberly wasn't sure what to expect when the door of Trini's home swung open, but it sure wasn't what she and Jason were currently staring down at. 

Two nearly identical boys looked up at the both of them with equally wide eyes that were an all too familiar shade of brown, matching the mop of hair atop their heads.

"Um, hi," Kimberly said. They blinked. She opened her mouth to speak just as a voice called from deeper in the house.

"Boys! What did I say about answering the door without me--Oh, hello," A tall woman with dark flowing hair appeared in the doorway and gave them a friendly smile. 

Kimberly couldn't help but hold the same quiet resentment that Trini did towards her own mother, and fought to return an equally sweet smile. "Hi," she looked to Jason who gave a small wave. "We're Trini's friends from school, we were wondering if she was here?"

Trini's mother's eyes widened. "F-friends? My daughters friends?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jason met Kimberly's eyes and they shared a look. 

"Yes, yes of course, come in!" she ushered them in and smoothed down a crease in her shirt. "I'm sure she's around her somewhere--TRINI!" she yelled up the stairs. Kimberly looked around the living room she had grown so familiar with the week before, and noted how seemingly cold it was without Trini's presence. She tapped her foot impatiently as the call was met with silence.

Trini's mother sighed and she gave them a look of exasperation. "She's probably got her music set to ear-splitting, I'll go get her." 

Kimberly stopped her before she could take a step. "May I?"

Trini's mother gestured a hand. "Be my guest."

 

  
Kimberly knocked softly on the door of Trini's bedroom and waited with baited breath for a response. When none came, she turned the knob and stepped inside. 

"Trin?" 

She gazed around the room, half expecting to hear muffled music and see Trini sprawled on her bed, head bobbing and legs kicking. Instead, she found that the only sound that pierced the silence was the clock ticking slowly on the wall, and all that lay on her bed were a pile of bunched sheets and the yellow cropped sweatshirt Kimberly had taken to wearing the last time she had been here. 

A breeze blew in through the open window and Kimberly rubbed a hand across her forehead. She took a deep breath and made a split second decision. She grabbed the sweatshirt and rolled it up, before stuffing it in the side of her jacket in an attempt to conceal it. She hoped it didn't look too strange jutting out as she closed the bedroom door behind her and made her way back down the stairs to where Jason was. 

He was squatting next to Trini's little brothers, laughing at something one of them had said. When he saw Kimberly, he straightened up with an expectant gaze. She shook her head.

"She's not here." 

Trini's mom walked back into the room as she spoke, and rolled her eyes. "She's probably run off to who knows where again, don't worry about it."

Kimberly stared. "Do _you_ worry about it?"

"Trini does this all the time, she'll be back before you know it." 

"Are you--are you serious?" she blanched. "You're not even worried that your _daughter's_ missing?"

"Okayyy," Jason pulled her arm towards the door and gave Trini's mom a polite smile. "Thank you, we should get going." 

Kimberly shook him off with a frustrated huff. 

Jason stopped in the door frame and pointed a finger at one of Trini's brothers. "Now who's best Power Ranger again?" 

"The red one!" he exclaimed.

Jason laughed as Kimberly pushed him out the door with a sickly sweet smile thrown over her shoulder at Trini's mom. 

"We'll let you know when we find Trini, _ma'am_."

* * *

  
The stars twinkled brightly up above as a cool breeze blew across the mountain, ruffling Kimberly's hair and making her shiver where the air hit her bare skin exposed by the sweatshirt. She slumped down on one of the larger rocks of the quarry, desperately trying to hold back the hot tears of frustration that blurred the edge of her vision. A hand on her back made her jump, but she quickly softened when she realized who it was. 

"Don't worry Kimberly, we'll find her." Billy awkwardly patted her shoulder, causing a warm affection to swell in her chest.

"I know," she sighed. At that moment, a figure appeared over the ridge, and any of her previous hope was squashed upon seeing the single shadow in the dark. 

Zack met her eyes and shook his head. "Not at the docks." 

Jason groaned in frustration. "Where could she _be_?" 

Zack perched on the rock next to Kimberly with a furrowed brow. "You don't think...she was _taken_ , do you?" 

"By who?" Kimberly cursed her voice for cracking. "We slapped Rita into oblivion." 

The rest of the team was silent until Billy piped up. "Maybe she has an evil twin! Or...I guess evil-er twin." 

"Look you guys, she probably just ran off, okay? Let's not jump to conclusions." 

Zack rubbed a thoughtful hand on his chin. "But why? What would she be running from, I mean she seemed fine the last time I saw her." 

Jason met Kimberly's eyes and she buried her face in her hands, letting her short locks hang in small curtains around her face. "Tell them," her voice came muffled, but thankfully Jason heard her. 

"Kimberly has this ridiculous notion that Trini ran away because of her." 

Billy and Zack shared a confused glance. "Why would she run away because of Kimberly?" 

"Because,"he paused, looking to Kimberly who gestured him to continue. "She and Trini almost kissed Friday night." 

Zack's whoop of celebration could have been heard all the way across the town of Angel Grove, as he shot up from his rock  with a fist pump. Billy simply clapped his hands together with a smile. 

"Ha ha, Yes! You owe me fifty bucks, Scott!" 

"Yeah, yeah." 

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Sit down, Zack."

"But wait," Billy held up a finger. "Why would she run away if that's a good thing?"

Kimberly through her hands up. "I don't know! It...scared her maybe?"

Zack let out a booming laugh as he sat back down on his respective rock. "Nothing scares that crazy girl. Plus," he knocked Kimberly's shoulder with his own. "She's crazy about you Kimmy, that was probably the best almost kiss of her entire life." he paused. "Well, _only_ almost kiss of her entire life." 

Kimberly swiveled her head to look at him. "What do you mean only?" 

Zack scoffed. "What, you two were getting all buddy-buddy at your sleepovers and never told first kiss stories--or lack thereof?" 

Kimberly huffed."Never got around to it, no," she mumbled.

"Okay, let's just focus on finding Trini, where _haven't_ we looked--" Jason was interrupted by the insistent vibrating that started in Kimberly's pocket. She quickly pulled out her phone, hoping the name on the screen was the one she desperately needed to see, but instead it was an unknown phone number. 

"Who is it?" Zack asked.

She shrugged. "Dunno, probably wrong number." 

"Answer it," 

Kimberly hit the accept button and the guys subconsciously drew closer. The only sound on the other side was static, and she rolled her eyes. "See? Probably a butt-dial--"

" _Kimberly?_ " 

The voice on the other end should have been the most familiar sound in the world, but the desperation in it filled Kimberly's chest with dread.

" _Trini!?_ " 

They all moved in and Kimberly frantically put the phone on speaker. "Trini can you hear me?" 

The noises were clipped, but a few words got through. " _Yes--help--I don't--gone--_ "

Kimberly fought back her tears and steadied her voice. "Trini, listen to me, _where are you_?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment, until;" _Bright--doctor--hippo--please--_ "

' _Bright doctor hippo_?' Zack mouthed.

"Are you hurt?" The screen of Kimberly's phone began to splinter beneath her grip, and Jason quickly pried it out of her hand. 

"Trini, do you know who took you?"

A loud clang sounded from the other end and then more static. 

"Trini, are you still there?" 

" _Can't--lab--they're--soon--help--_ " 

The call abruptly cut off, leaving team to stare, wide eyed.

"Oh god, oh no, no, no, no," Kimberly's voice cracked as she paced back and forth and rubbed her hands down her face. 

Zack blew out a shaky breath and bent over his knees. Billy wrung his hands and turned to a shell-shocked Jason. "Jason, what does bright hippo doctor mean?" 

"I-I don't know Billy," he confessed. 

Kimberly bit back a scream. This was not supposed to happen. This _couldn't_ be happening. It had to be a bad dream. A terrible, terrible nightmare that she'd wake up from any minute with Trini's arms wrapped around her, warm and safe and tracing lazy circles on her back. Kimberly would crack a joke still half asleep, and Trini's smile would light up the room and make her heart beat out of her chest and have her palms sweating and her stomach fluttering with butterflies.The early morning sun would filter in through the window and they'd lay there until their stomach's told them it was time to get up and they'd make pancakes and dance in their underwear to old 90's hits and forget the rest of the world existed.

Only this was the reality. And it was cold and dark and unforgiving and Kimberly had a knot so deeply coiled her chest she could barely breathe and the wind was whipping dangerously now and her hands were shaking and her vision was blurring and---

"Kimberly!" 

She blinked, Jason was swimming into view, face pulled into a look of concern. 

"We're going to find her," he said, determined.

Zack was seated back on his rock, eyebrows knit and bottom lip sucked in between his teeth. "Hippo, hippo,hippo..." he trailed off, and his eyes lit up. "Hippo!" 

They stared blankly. Billy raised his hand. "What hippo?" 

"That weird art installation on the edge of town! It's a statue of a hippo standing on it's hind legs, surrounded by a bunch of little fish, remember?" 

Kimberly blinked but a look of realization passed over Jason's face. "Yeah, yeah, they tried to get it removed awhile back but it wouldn't budge. It's been there since the eighties," 

"You think that's where Trini is?" 

Zack lifted his shoulders. "There's only one way to find out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit shorter because the next chapter (possibly two) are going to be ...wild man. will hopefully be up before next weekend!!
> 
> the song of this chapter is without you by oh wonder go listen and have a cry w/ me


	7. can't find my mind, like i'm lost and found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hippos and bombs and kisses oh my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if the whole trini-missing-thing was too sudden but it's something i wanted to do with my other multi-fic but never got around to it so !! i hope this chapter makes up for it :)

Trini couldn't breathe. 

Or at least - she thought she couldn't breathe. 

At this point, she wasn't sure what was real, and what was a figment of her imagination - swimming in and out of consciousness can do that to a girl. 

Dark figures came and went, sharp objects poked and prodded, voices murmured and whispered meaningless words that were immediately swept away with the slow beeps and low hums of machinery whenever she'd pass out again. Sometimes she was on a table, sometimes she was in a room with no lights and barren walls, but no matter what, she was always cold. And not just your average 'throw on a sweater' kind of cold. Trini was the kind of cold that slows the blood in your veins and turns your lips blue and sucks all the color from beneath your skin until all you feel is a numb tingling and a burning feeling clawing in your chest like raw sandpaper. 

It wasn't like this in the beginning. In the beginning it was all heat. She was more aware then - able to speak, and scream, and plead, and _demand_ that she be released. She yelled until her throat burned and her lungs ached and her fingernails dug into her palms so sharply they drew hot blood that dripped onto the cool linoleum beneath her.

They actually bothered to wipe up the blood then. 

_They_ being the indistinguishable shadows that always stayed just out of sight, right on the edge of her vision. _They_ who had strength that always trumped hers - or rather, took it away, _they_ who'd drag her from room to table, table to room, without ever revealing a glimpse of their face.

The only face she ever saw was the Doctor's, and that face was _not_ one she wanted to remember.

* * *

Kimberly's feet crunched beneath gravel as the four shadows made their way in the darkness, a heavy silence the only sound besides the distant hooting of an owl. 

The moon shone brightly overhead, the only light source available this far from the inner city street lights, and despite the warm night, the steadily increasing wind raised goosebumps on Kimberly's arms, drawing a shiver down her back. 

"You alright?"

Jason glanced at her with a look of concern. 

"Yeah," she nodded minutely, keeping her eyes downcast on the road. "I'm good." 

She was utterly and thoroughly _not_ good, but she didn't need to give him another reason to worry. 

"Found it!" Zack called from up ahead, a relatively small figure compared to what he was standing next to. 

The dark sculpture came into better focus as they moved closer, and Kimberly had to do a double take. A statue of a hippo stood on it's hindquarters, arms posed up to the sky and large belly nearly the size of a car. Surrounding it were dozens of metal fish, jumping and floundering around it's hooves like tiny back up dancers. 

"How the _hell_ have I never seen this," Kimberly blanched. 

Billy walked up to the large beast and raised a finger to touch it's smooth belly. "It's frighteningly realistic," 

"Yes realistic," Kimberly sighed."But what does it have to do with Trini disappearing?" 

At that moment, she noticed the way the hippo's webbed hand was pointed towards the treeline. She squinted. "That can't be," she muttered. 

Jason must have heard her, and he followed her line of sight."Whoa..." 

Zack and Billy turned to where they were looking, and Zack let out a low whistle. 

"Damn, I forgot that was out here too," 

"Yeah," Jason took a step forwards. "How is it even still standing?" 

A dark looming building sat atop the hill, partially obscured by trees and creating a shadow so menacing, Kimberly half expected something to crawl right out of it and eat them alive. 

"Oooh, I've read about that place," Billy said. "It was abandoned in the sixties." 

"I can see why," Zack said, moving closer. "Think we should check it out?"

Kimberly took a shaky breath. "If there's even the slightest possibility Trini's in there, we have to." 

Zack jogged over to the treeline, batting at a few twigs and hanging vines that obstructed the way. When he was done, a small winding path appeared, overgrown and leading straight up the hill. He looked back at the rest of the team with a glint in his eye. "Let's go get our girl."

  
The large brick structure was so vast, Kimberly wondered how it was nearly impossible to see from the city. Intricate woodwork was partially consumed by ivy that spiraled upwards from the wide double doors and over the engraved stone above the entrance. She could just make out the letters if she squinted. 

" _Angel Grove Sanatorium?_ " Just reading the name aloud seemed to send a wave of unease across the hill, quieting any and all cicada's that were previously lilting.

"This used to be a tuberculosis hospital in the nineteen hundreds," Billy's voice pierced the silence. "Lot's of people died here." 

"Thanks for that, Billy," Jason muttered, taking a step closer.

Zack made his way to doors, yanking on the handle to throw one open. A loud screech along with a handful of dust came billowing out, making him cough.

Kimberly pulled out her phone and switched on the flashlight, prompting the other boys to do the same. She took a shaky inhale. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

 

Trini flinched as yet another pain shot up her arm, jolting her body to awareness. She dreaded and welcomed when whatever take-down-an-elephant-strength sedative wore off: on one hand, she could feel every ache and cramp, on the other, she actually had some clarity and a few agonizing moments to regain her thoughts.

_Where was she?_

_Why is everything so bright?_

_How can she get out of here?_

_Is the team on their way?_

_Will Kimberly be with them?_

_Of course she'd be with them why wouldn't she -_

Just about the only thoughts keeping her sane were of Kimberly. 

Kimberly's hair, and the way it felt tangled in Trini's fingers the night of the dance. 

Kimberly's eyes, sometimes bright and twinkling like when she pulled her into the pool, sometimes dark and heady, like when they first saw Trini in that little dress, or looked at her lips like they were the only thing in the universe under the dim lights of the roller rink. 

Kimberly's hands, and the way they ever-so-gently rubbed soothing circles on Trini's back when she was trembling in her arms after an awful nightmare. 

_Kimberly._

Only this wasn't a bad dream, or a pesky thunderstorm, and Kimberly wasn't here to protect her from every clap of thunder and strike of lightening. 

She was alone. And so, _so_ cold.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

A hair-raising voice paralyzed her with fear.

"We can't be building up a tolerance for this, now can we?" 

The Doctor fiddled with her IV in her peripheral vision. She struggled against her restraints, hoping by some minuscule chance that her super strength would miraculously return and snap the metal cuffs clean off. 

The Doctor turned towards her, and she suppressed a shudder. She had started calling him that early on in her mind, mainly because of the white lab coat, and also because he seemed to be the only one in control - and the only face she ever saw. There was nothing abnormal or disgusting about it, that was the problem. He looked like your average all-american 'nice guy'. No older than thirty with a dark scruffy beard and always wearing a smile that made her skin crawl.

Trini's throat felt as raw as sandpaper, but she repeated the words she'd been saying at every chance she got. "Why are you doing this?" her voice was as thin as parchment, and she fought down a harsh cough.

He sighed, laying a hand on her arm. She flinched away."As I've told you before, little Yellow, this is all for the good of science - and humanity."

"There's nothing _humane_ about any of this," she managed to spit.

"And there's nothing _human_ about you, or your other Ranger friends," he sighed again. "Oh, how I'd love to get my hands on another one of you, see what makes you all different." he shook his head and removed his hand. "But you'll just have to do for now."

"How did you even find out about us?" 

He laughed without humor. "I'm a lot smarter than the citizens of Angel Grove, my dear," he patted her arm, sending another shooting pain up her bicep. "Now enough with the questions, we've got some work to do."

She could feel her eyelids getting heavy, and fought to keep them open. "No," she struggled to raise her voice. "No!" It came out a strangled whimper, and the familiar tingle of her limbs going numb spread across her like an uncomfortable blanket. 

The last thing she saw before slipping away into unconsciousness were the pearly whites of The Doctor smiling down at her. 

"You'll thank me, one day."

* * *

 

"This place is huge," Jason's voice echoed off the walls. "We should split up, cover more ground that way." 

"Always the leader," Zack said. "And the one that would get us all killed in the first few minutes of a horror film." 

Jason rolled his eyes. "Kimberly, Zack, down there," he pointed to two forked doorways enveloped in darkness. "Billy, you're with me upstairs." 

"Oh thank god," Billy deflated. "Because I was-I was not goin' up those Satan traps alone." 

He was referring to the stone staircase to their left that spiraled upwards, seemingly crumbling as they spoke and a definite safety hazard.

"Yell if you find anything." 

They went their separate ways, and Kimberly immediately missed the warm glow of their collective flashlights. Now with only a sliver of beam to light the way, she walked into the wide hallway and held back a gasp. 

The place was trashed. Litter covered the ground, present-day newspaper clippings and fast-food chain wrappers a stark contrast to the grand carvings in the stone doorways. Graffiti tagged the walls that were practically oozing decay and dotted with stains Kimberly was pretty sure were not paint. The light fixtures up above were long-bulbless and dangled ominously above her head. 

She suppressed a shudder and reminded herself why she was here - Trini. 

Trini, who was trapped, or held hostage, or being tortured, scared and alone and probably in much more pain than Kimberly was was at the moment, merely walking through a slightly unsettling hallway. She shook her head, ignoring the way the wind whistled through the boarded up windows, and continued to make her way past empty treatment and patient rooms. 

After what felt like hours, she made it to the end of the hallway, with nothing to show for it but more graffiti on the walls and goop on the floor. Kimberly rubbed her eyes, heaving a sigh and placing a hand out to steady herself on the far wall, only to meet...air. She tried again, figuring she was just further from it than she thought. 

Again, nothing. 

She opened her eyes, and her gasp echoed through each room, a resounding noise that eventually fell back into a hush. 

Her hand has disappeared. No, not disappeared - seemingly gone _through_ the wall. Not in the way of punching, (Kimberly had done that plenty of times to know what it looks like.) but almost as if the concrete had molded around her wrist. She yanked her hand out and wiggled her fingers. All ten, still in tact. She tried again, this time submerging it to her forearm before pulling it back out. Nothing. No burns, no pain except a slight tingling. 

Kimberly shook her head. She should tell the guys. They should all investigate this strange wall-not-wall together and decide what to do from there. But they were running out of time - Trini was running out of time.

And Kimberly was nothing if not reckless when it came to this girl. 

She took a deep breath and faced the wall head on, stepping a foot forward and plunging through without a second thought.

For a brief moment, time stood still. That tingling previously felt on her arm spread all over her body, and she couldn't breathe. She was swallowed by darkness, unable to move or break free. Suddenly, her ears popped and she stumbled out the other side with a sharp inhale. Bright lights blinded her, and Kimberly bent over her knees for a moment, struggling to get her bearings. She straightened up after a moment and assessed her surroundings. 

White. White everywhere. White lights, white tables, white machinery beeping and humming in every corner. The room itself wasn't very big, but the lights gave it that illusion, shifting and shaping the walls until they opened up, creating a dizzying effect that had Kimberly blinking the spots away from her eyes. 

When she focused them again, she saw something that made her stomach turn. A white table sat in the center of the room, pushed up against the farthest wall and housing steel restraints at the top and bottom. The tables surrounding it held surgical equipment of all kinds, some of which, on further inspection, had blood on them, causing Kimberly to stutter a shaky breath. 

_That's not Trini's, that's not Trini's, that's not Trini's -_ Maybe if she thought it enough times, it'd be true. 

The place was empty, but a hallway veered towards her right and seemed to continue endlessly. She had no other choice but to follow it, treading lightly on the tips of her toes.The hallway was lined with doorways, all with small windows at eye level, and Kimberly checked the first one - empty. 

Second door - empty.

Third - empty.

Fourth, fifth, sixth - nada.

She peered into the seventh door, expecting to see yet another barren white room, but what she saw instead made her breath catch and eyes well up. 

A small figure huddled in the corner, clothed in only a sheet-thin hospital gown. Her hair was a rats nest, the once vibrant blonde highlights a dull, almost dishwater shade, and the arms that were wrapped around her bruised knees were bandaged haphazardly, some steadily blooming red stains.

"Trini!" she tugged on the door handle harshly, but it didn't budge. At this point, Kimberly didn't care if her captors heard her -she would gladly rip them apart one by one with her own bare hands. 

Trini's head snapped up. Her eyes widened and she mouthed Kimberly's name in disbelief. She rushed to the small window, placing her hand on the glass and repeating it over and over like a prayer. 

"Trini, I'm going to get you out of here okay? Just hang on."

She nodded and Kimberly held back her hot tears of relief to focus on the task at hand - getting the door open. She pulled on the door handle again, but whatever the thing was made of must have been super-power resilient. She growled under her breath, looking up to meet Trini's pleading eyes through the window. 

"Stand back!" 

Trini furrowed her brow, and then realization dawned on her face. She moved back, albeit slower than she'd come forward, and Kimberly did the same. She took a deep breath, practically hearing Zordon's voice in her mind, telling her to focus. She closed her eyes, channeling all her strength, and ran at the door full speed. Her feet collided with the steel, and she held back a cry as pain shot up her legs and the door flew inwards, hitting the farthest wall of the cell and dropping to the ground with a loud clang. 

Before Kimberly could take another step, a body collided with hers, forcing her to stumble backwards against the wall. The faint smell of antiseptic mixed with the familiar scent of roses and pine enveloped Kimberly and a sob of relief washed over her body. She wrapped one arm around the small torso and tangled the other in the mess of hair. Trini's head collapsed onto her chest, staining her skin with hot tears, and in a rush, Kimberly let hers go too, sliding down the length of the wall and hitting the cool floor with a soft 'thud'. Their sobs mixed along with their tangled mess of limbs, chaotic and soft and desperate all at the same time. 

A meteor could crash directly into this strange pocket dimension and neither wouldn't have noticed. 

Kimberly spoke one thing into her hair, over and over until it barely sounded like English anymore.

" _You're safe, you're safe, you're safe_."

* * *

 

The sedative had worn off long ago, but Trini couldn't feel any pain - not at the moment anyways. 

All she could feel was the warmth of two strong arms around her and the soft voice whispering into her ear and the fabric of a familiar sweatshirt clutched in her fingers.Kimberly's knees were on either side of Trini, encasing her in a protective bubble against her chest and making her completely forget their current situation. She lifted her head slightly, wanting to get a good look at Kimberly, but was immediately met with a pair of lips on her eyelids. Her cheeks. Her nose. Her forehead. Kimberly peppered kisses across her face, leaving a burning trail that Trini would feel the lingering effects of for days.

She left one last searing kiss to her forehead and pressed her own onto Trini's. Kimberly's eyes were rimmed red, but she was smiling. 

"Hi."

Trini found her voice after a couple tries. "Hi."

"Are you okay?" Kimberly's voice broke as her eyes scanned Trini's body, full well knowing the answer to that. She nodded anyways, letting out a shaky breath that blew softly at the hair on Kimberly's cheeks. 

"We need to get out of here -" her eyes widened, looking at something to their left.

Fear gripped Trini. This must have been what had taken her. This must have been what always overpowered her, no matter how hard she fought. The things that she could never quite stare in the face or get a good glimpse of. There they were, clear as day, standing at the end of the hallway, five, maybe six of them.

To call them human would be generous. 

Their faces were practically melded out of steel, scrunched in a permanent deep scowl like a twisted theater mask, and their eyes were a deep glowing crimson. Around their heads, dark thick smoke gathered and shifted down their seemingly shapeless bodies, all the way to frighteningly humanoid steel toed boots.

A thick wave of disgust rolled over Trini as she thought about how they were ones that had been poking and prodding her all this time without a lick of remorse - only orders.

"What the..." Kimberly was still staring slack jawed, and Trini used what was left of her strength to pull her upwards. 

"You can't fight those things Kim,we have to go. Now." 

The figures started moving towards them and Trini stumbled backwards, nearly loosing her footing. Kimberly seemed to come back to her senses in that moment, and slid an arm around Trini's waist to hold her up right. 

The next thing she knew, they were running. Well, Kimberly was running - Trini was doing the best half-jog she could under the circumstances. They made it out to the lab, and with one last middle finger to the stark white room, they plunged through the door.

* * *

 

"You alright?" 

Trini was bent over her knees, struggling to catch her breath, but she nodded. They continued down the dark hallway Kimberly had originally entered and came to a stop at the entrance way to the asylum. 

"Guys!" Kimberly called, her voice echoing off the walls. "I found Trini!" 

"What!? It's been like two minutes!" Zack was heard distantly from the hall to their right, and Kimberly scrunched her eyebrows. 

" _Two minutes?_ " 

Trini shook her head, still leaning heavily on her for support. "Time passes differently in that place," her voice was still raspy and thin, making Kimberly's heart clench. 

"You were in there for three days..." she trailed off, and Trini met her eyes. 

"It felt like weeks," she finished for her.

Kimberly held onto yet another round of tears as footsteps grew louder down the hall. 

"Trini!" 

Zack appeared in the doorway, and immediately swept Trini from Kimberly's arms in one huge bear hug. 

"Hi, Zack," her voice was muffled in his shirt, but Kimberly could tell she was holding back more tears of her own. More footsteps thundered down the steps and suddenly Trini was bombarded with two more bodies and a million more questions. 

" _Where were you?"_

_"Are you hurt?"_

_"Who did this?"_

_"How did they do this?"_

_"What's living in your hair?"_

_"Zack!"_

"Hey, hey, hey," Kimberly interrupted their barrage on her with a pointed look. "Questions later, we need to get out of here." 

"Oh, um, yes," Billy raised his hand. "I may have rigged some things to blow on accident so we should definitely leave."

"What?!"

" _On accident?_ "

"How the _hell_ did you manage that so fast, dude?"

"Guys!" Kimberly's voice echoed above the rest. "Let's go!" 

They hightailed it out the large double doors and back down the winding path to the base of the hill. Behind them, a sound like thunder clapping resounded across the valley, and the back end of the large structure went up in flames, matching the fiery colors of the morning sun rising in the east.

Zack whistled. "Damn, Billy." 

"I think I'm gonna be getting a lot more than detention for that one." 

The walls started caving inwards one by one like dominoes, sending thick smoke into the serene morning air.

Trini clutched Kimberly's sweatshirt, sagging against her side. "Do you think that took them with it?" she whispered.

Kimberly's stomach clenched. "I don't know, Trin. We can only hope." 

Jason started back towards their unassuming sleepy town. "Let's go guys, before we get arrested for arson."

  
The team parted ways after many hugs and promises to talk later - the only question Trini needed to answer at the moment is which blanket she'd prefer to be burritoed into. 

Kimberly drove her back to her house - seeing as her parents were out of town once again and they still had to come up with some excuse to tell Trini's parents about her weekend-long whereabouts - and quickly ushered her inside and up the stairs. She grabbed a towel and a change of clothes, and ran a hot bath. She left Trini to it with one last kiss to her forehead. 

"I'll be right outside if you need anything." 

Trini gave her a grateful look and reluctantly let go of her hand. "Thanks, Kim."

Kimberly spent the next twenty minutes making sure Trini had an adequate amount of blankets and pillows to snuggle into on her bed, and also prepared a sandwich with whatever she could salvage from the barren refrigerator. She sat on the edge of her mattress, nervously picking at her nail polish until the bathroom door opened. 

Trini emerged in one of Kimberly's oversized pink sweatshirts, cheeks as rosy as the material and hair wet and disheveled. 

Kimberly stood up. "Hey, I um, I made you a sandwich," she pointed to the plate on her bedside table. "Figured you'd be hungry. And, uh, got a first aid kit, in case you wanted me to change your bandages." she gestured to Trini's covered arms. "But if you want to sleep before doing anything else that's cool too."

She cut off her rambling and gauged Trini's reaction. She was staring at Kimberly with a blank expression. After a couple moments, she took a few determined steps forward, and Kimberly tensed up, thinking she'd said something wrong. 

It wasn't until Trini was pressed up against her that she realized what was happening. She fisted a hand in the back of Kimberly's shirt, the other coming to rest on her neck.

Her eyes were glassy, but she looked up at Kimberly like she was the only thing in the universe. 

Kimberly's breath caught. She lifted her own hands to cup Trini's jaw, gently rubbing a thumb on the sharp curvature. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, eyes searching and breath mingling, the only sound the early morning chirping of birds. Beams of sunlight streamed through the window, casting rays across them and bringing out the flecks of gold in Trini's eyes. Kimberly wanted so desperately to stare into them forever, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep herself from looking at her lips.Full and pink, parted slightly and just begging to be touched. Kimberly moved her thumb from her jaw, and brought it to the soft edges of Trini's mouth. She ran it across her puckered out bottom lip, enjoying the way Trini's breath hitched as she traced the pout up and over her cupids bow, and back down again.

Trini's eyes darkened, and the fist in Kimberly's shirt tightened, bringing them closer. Kimberly moved her hands back onto her cheeks, and suddenly Trini was close enough to count her eyelashes. 

There was no fighting what happened next. 

Trini's lips collided with hers so forcefully that their teeth clashed together harshly, but Kimberly didn't care. She didn't care about anything except Trini's mouth on hers. Trini's mouth on hers and her hands in her hair and desperately pulling on her clothing, tugging and scratching and doing _anything_ to get closer. Kimberly responded with enthusiasm tilting her head to get better access and tangling her own hands in Trini's damp locks.

Weeks and weeks of pent up frustration were all released in one single kiss. A kiss that brought the sun out from behind the clouds and chased the demons away and finally, _finally_ , let Kimberly feel like she could breathe again. Trini's lips were so soft, and yet so _hungry_. She opened her mouth a fraction, an invitation for Kimberly to swipe her tongue across her bottom lip. Trini whimpered against her and immediately Kimberly wanted to hear that sound again and again for the rest of her life. She gave her lip a small tug between her teeth, quickly softening it with another stroke of her tongue. This time, Trini nearly collapsed against her. 

Kimberly stumbled backwards, sitting on her bed and pulling Trini atop her lap without disconnecting their lips. The warm weight of Trini on top of her elicited a sigh - and a shudder. Trini must have felt the ripple underneath her and smirked against her lips, settling her legs more comfortably so that they bracketed Kimberly's hips. 

"Shut up," Kimberly mumbled against her lips, causing an even bigger smile to bloom. 

Kissing and smiling proved difficult, and they reluctantly pulled away with equally dopey grins. Kimberly looped her arms around her back, locking her fingers together there and pressing her forehead against Trini's. 

Trini brought her hands from Kimberly's hair, down to her face, and Kimberly was thankful she could now openly stare at her. Her lips were red and swollen, (a sight that brought Kimberly some satisfaction, knowing it was her doing.) and her eyelids were pulling down heavily. 

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. 

Trini scrunched up her face. "You missed." her voice was low and husky, causing heat to swell in Kimberly's lower abdomen. And with that she recaptured Kimberly's lips with hers.

* * *

Kissing Kimberly Hart was like drowning, and floating, and flying all at the same time. A hazy whirlwind of sharp teeth and smooth skin and intoxicating sweetness that left Trini in a dizzying downward spiral so intense she had to repeatedly remind herself to breath.

Her hands coasted up and down Trini's sides, and fisted in her hair, making her completely forget her current exhaustion and rapidly healing wounds. Despite Kimberly's lap being the most comfortable and natural seat Trini had ever been in, her leg was starting to fall asleep and she shifted it slightly and resettling her hips. At that moment, Kimberly let out a breathy moan against her lips that set Trini's body aflame and ran a shiver down her spine. Kimberly tensed up beneath her, before tugging at Trini's bottom lip again and swiping her tongue across it, something Trini had quickly decided was the _best_ feeling in the entire world.

It wasn't until Kimberly's hands moved from her hair, across her shoulders and down to apply pressure on Trini's lower back that she realized her brief position change had sparked that initial noise and had Kimberly's kisses coming hotter and faster against her mouth. 

She prayed, oh she _prayed_ what she was about to do was the right thing. She tilted her hips forward slightly, rolling them against Kimberly's abdomen and biting down a cry of her own when Kimberly made That Noise again and gripped her hips so tightly that Trini was sure there would be bruises tomorrow and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and _tugged_ making Trini let out a whimper of her own and, and - 

Kimberly pulled back suddenly, and Trini made a noise of protest. 

" _Shit_ , Trini, I forgot about you're injuries. Did I hurt you? I was being too rough wasn't I - _shit_." She removed her hands from Trini's waist and scooted backwards on the bed, practically forcing herself to stop touching her. 

Trini blinked at the abrupt lack of warmth, gathering her thoughts for a moment before speaking. "Kimberly, _hey_ , I'm fine," she crawled towards her on the bed, reaching a hand out to lay on her arm. "That was...perfect." 

_Always the poet, Trini._

Kimberly blew out a shaky breath. "Are you sure?"

Trini linked their fingers, sitting on her heels and resting her knees against Kimberly's thigh. "Positive." she lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of Kimberly's. Warmth and an ounce of smugness filled her chest at the rosy blush that spread across the other girls cheeks.

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "C'mere," she laid back against the pillows, pulling Trini with her until she rested her head on her chest. Fatigue barreled into her full force, and she struggled to stay awake. Partially because she didn't want to wake up to all of this having been one big dream, and partially because she was afraid of what she'd see whenever she closed her eyes.

 _Who_ she'd see.

Kimberly must have sensed her unease and ran a hand through her gradually drying hair, combing through the tangles. "We'll sort through everything tomorrow," she placed a kiss to her temple. "You're safe now,Trini, go to sleep." 

With those final words, Trini gave in, letting her eyelids flutter shut and feeling one last kiss to her head before drifting off into oblivion.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS. TOOK. SO. LONG. TO. WRITE. and edit. and edit again because i didn't save like an idiot. this literally got switched and changed and rewritten so many times in the past five days i don't know what's what but i do know trini and kimberly finally kissed!!! yay for gay!!!! idk if i'm 100% happy with it because again, i've read it so many times the word 'lips' has zero meaning to me now
> 
> let me know what you thought!!


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